I conducted quite the anthropological observation this afternoon: I chaperoned a 6th/7th grade dance at my school.
It has been quite a while since I have attended a secondary school dance, and oh my how things have changed. I'm sure you all remember or have seen how kids danced in the 1940s and 1950s. They coupled up and did all these amazing moves. Think Enchantment Under the Sea Dance from the Back to the Future movies. By the 1980s, dancers still coupled up, but they didn't really make any body contact. Think the school dance scenes from Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Sixteen Candles. Being a 1990 high school graduate, this is how I danced.
Now? They don't even couple up. Everyone in the whole gym congregates into one big group and dances with no one in particular. The other thing I noticed is the lack of variety in music (and I use the term music very loosely). At my dances, you would get a little Rock, a little Pop, a little R&B, maybe even a little Rap (relatively harmless stuff like Tone Loc or Young MC). Now? Hip-Hop. End of story. And even though I believe the DJ used cleaned-up versions of the songs, some cuss words sneaked into the songs every now and then. This is at a middle school dance remember. My goodness, how far standards have fallen, even since I graduated from high school.
It's funny, I remember when the George Michael song, I Want Your Sex came out on the radio in the summer of 1987. The radio station out of Medford, Oregon that I listened to refused to play that song as is. They ran an edited version that only included the verse I Want Your Love. At this dance today, music was played that made I Want Your Sex sound like a Frank Sinatra tune.
I was definitely reminded today of why I refuse to chaperone dances. All I got for my trouble was a pair of ringing ears and a splitting headache.
Good Day to You, Sir
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson
6 comments:
Were you a total Farmer Ted?
I loved Sixteen Candles.
Oh please! I was Jake Ryan of course!
I have chosen, as I have aged, to retreat into a fantasyland where high school kids don't engage in risky behavior, like drinking and drugging, nor do they engage in sexual behavior. That way I can put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and hum Beatles songs to myself. Peaceful, pure BS, but peaceful.
I was at a high school prom this year, working in my assigned duties.
The way the kids dressed and the music was TERRIBLE! Very trashy in my mind.
Anyway, I p[lay a radio in my class when the students are working. It remains on an Oldies station (50s, 60s, & 70s).
They complain at first but my rule is NO RAP, NO HIPHOP, NO MUSIC I DON'T LIKE!
What I have never understood is why is it the duty of a school to put on a prom for the students? I just never understood that.
I guess it is the liberals trying to "be all to everyone."
This is totally off the subject, "Jake", but I feel the need to comment on this because it's too funny.
I opened the comment section up to read the other comments and happened to notice the Word Verification letters that are currently listed below. Now I know these are supposed to be random letters, but you would think that whomever makes this work would make sure that certain combinations would NOT pop up.
Because right now my word verification letters are: WTFMF.
In this computer age, we all know what WTF stand for. As for MF, I don't think it's nice at all.
Too funny.
t,
That's too funny.
Post a Comment