James Tate

James Tate is the boy who tried to ask a girl to prom and got suspended from school and banned from the prom.  He trespassed on school property and he climbed a ladder up the front of the school to tape up a huge cardboard message asking a girl in his class to prom.

The principal punished him for his actions.  She suspended him for one day from school and enforced a long standing rule that any one suspended after April 1 is banned from the prom.

The way people are acting you would think she hog tied him and whipped him at a school assembly.

People are practically burning this woman's effigy.  They are calling for her head on a platter - literally.  They think that she has single-handedly ruined James Tate's life by not allowing him to go to prom.  There is even a Connecticut legislator getting involved trying to pass legislation to stop this!  WTF???  Get back to work you POS and stop worrying about stupid teenagers being banned from prom.  This guy should get his own punch!!

You know what I think?  Good for you, Dr. Beth Smith.  I am completely on your side!

If young Mr. Tate had fallen off his ladder and broken a leg or, God forbid, been killed you KNOW that his parents and their lawyers would have been ALL OVER Dr. Smith and her school with lawsuits out the ass.

The other problem Dr. Smith faces is that James Tate is a senior.  In a few more weeks, he's outta here and he ain't never coming back, but Dr. Smith isn't going anywhere.  She's got hundreds of more students she has to keep in line and so she has to be tough so that some other dumb kid doesn't try this stunt next year.

I don't doubt that James is a good kid.  He sounds like a real sweet kid with a big heart, but he didn't think this one through.  He made a bad choice and now he has to live with the consequences, simple as that.  We can't make special rules for him because it's prom. Or because it's his senior year.  Or because he's just a real nice kid.  Who cares?

He can start all the Facebook pages or online petitions he wants, but I hope Dr. Smith does not budge one bit.

Plus, what is the big damn deal with prom?  Why does everything think it's the end all, be all of your life?  It's a dance, people.  It's a silly, expensive night that only lives up to the Prom Queen's expectations.

I blame Hollywood for making us all think that prom is some sort of magical evening where we're all beautiful and happy.  Where Jake Ryan finally notices us and drives us home in his Porsche.  I also blame Hollywood for making boys think they need to go over the top to invite a girl to a dance.  Why couldn't James just ask this girl during lunch period?  Why did he need to make such a big to-do?

If he wanted to be unique, here are some ideas:  Why didn't he write a note on the windshield of her car before she left for school that morning?  Why didn't he mail her a letter every day with one word for each day spelling out Will you go to prom with me? James  Why didn't he hire a skywriter?  Why didn't he ask Dr. Smith if he could hang up his sign?????  Oh right, because I bet deep down, he knew she'd say NO.  He didn't care.  He thought he could get away with it.  He thought he could charm his way out of his punishment.  He thought he could pick up some trash and apologize and go rent a tux.  Instead I hope he and Sonali order a pizza and rent Sixteen Candles.

I think Dr. Smith has helped prepare this boy for his future more than he may know.  She's taught him that being a good, nice, well-behaved kid isn't enough to get you out of trouble when you make a poor decision.  He needs to THINK about his actions and what the consequences will be.  She has also helped him learn that the world is hard core and there are rules that must be followed and the world doesn't care how many friends you have on Facebook who think you shouldn't be banned from prom/fired/sent to prison/fined/etc./etc..  If you fuck up, you will be punched - err...punished.

2 comments:

Whitney said...

Thoughts:
1. His parent's should be thanking the principle, she just saved them an ass load of money.
2. He, unlike 85% of the other prom attendees, will actually remember his prom night.

Guess I only had two thoughts.

Megan said...

Damn. My fiance proposed to me right after I changed a dirty diaper. I don't get the huge production needed to ask a chick out.

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