Principal Claiming Male Students Buying Dates In A Prom Draft Isn’t Harmful May Be Worse Than The Draft Itself
Male students at a high school in California are using an NFL-style draft to select their prom dates. Female students are being ranked and first round picks are being sold. School administrators are “discouraging” this behavior. Wow. Really? That’s nice of them to “discourage” the trading of girls as property. How is this being allowed?
According to one student, junior and senior boys draw random numbers for the draft but can purchase more desirable draft picks.
This year, one junior paid $140 to get a high first-rank pick so he could select a specific girl, said the student, who is not being identified because of potential school disciplinary action.
”It’s awkward because he spent a large amount of money to go with someone he doesn’t talk to,” the student said. ”And she finds it awkward that he chose her.”
Come again? Paying who? Who is collecting this money? Who owns these girls? I don’t understand the concept that school administrators are “discouraging” this behavior. How about not allowing it? Principal Kathy Scott sent an email to parents saying ”it is not OK for any student to be objectified or judged in any way.” Apparently there was as similar draft last year.
According to the OC Register, Senior guys pull numbers that determine the order in which they get to pick a prom date. “Then, a boy running the now-defunct Twitter account @Cdmprom_Insider tweets results of the draft, listing the girls’ names as they were ‘drafted.'” Buzzfeed has a copy of the Tweets.
”I do not believe this is intended to be harmful, but this is not behavior that is consistent with our school’s outstanding reputation,” Scott said.
The principal of the school doesn’t believe treating her female students like products that can be rated and sold is “intended to be harmful.” That’s interesting. The LA Times reports that some of the girls are angry – because Sophomores were picked as dates instead of them. I think my head just exploded. I’m a little disturbed that the principal would be more concerned with protecting the school’s “outstanding reputation” than she would be ensuring that the girls who attend her school aren’t objectified. There has got to be a way to find a copy of these lists, or “draft picks.” How about everyone involved doesn’t go to prom? That seems like a reasonable solution to me.
Students are selling girls as dates, some female students are disturbed they didn’t make the draft, and a principal doesn’t think it’s intended to be harmful.
I hate everything.
(photo: Laura Stone/ Shutterstock)
