Flashing too much bling can get your prom cancelled

Principal cancels high school prom, because of the "financial decadence" surrounding the event.

"It is not primarily the sex/booze/drugs that surround this event, as problematic as they might be; it is rather the flaunting of affluence, assuming exaggerated expenses, a pursuit of vanity for vanity's sake -- in a word, financial decadence," Hoagland said, fed up with what he called the "bacchanalian aspects."

I don't know how I feel about that. I think he got it backwards.

If these kids can afford it, why rain on their parade? If their parents want to spoil then for a couple of days, why be the bad guy? So these kids are affluent. Big deal. $10,000 might seem like a lot for some folks, but maybe it isn't such a large amount for Long Island private school kids - especially split 46 ways. (Hint: They paid about as much as we did for that weekend in the Fire Island rental. And we took the "affordable" option.) Besides, it's the prom. The prom is the quintessential party day for a high school kid - it's supposed to be a day of decadence. It's not like the prom happens every day. Mardi Gras only happens once a year too. It's not like people run around flashing their boobs every single day for plastic beads.

On the other hand, high school kids shouldn't be on a booze cruise or in a car stocked with liquor. It's, you know... illegal. The sex/booze/drugs aspect is probably a little more problematic than some rich dad plunking down cash for a limo. As much as I think the war on drugs is a huge waste, especially against soft drugs like marijuana, unsupervised sixteen year olds shouldn't be around these substances. Period. And no matter what I believe the drugs/booze laws should be, it's still illegal for high school students to be drinking. Wishful thinking cannot will away current laws. If you're underage and drinking, and the cop or the judge isn't feeling generous, it goes on your record. If you're underage and you're a spoiled brat with a Lexus, then you're just a spoiled brat with a Lexus. Uncle Sam doesn't care.

Yes, prom can be a little stressful. And sometimes, it is almost as if the parents are they ones competing for their little ones to be the most fabulous. (Suburban parental competition can be a little much. Rather than going into a personal account of the silliness, I'll just watch the PTA meetings on the show Weeds. Maybe I'll save my mildly embarrassing prom story fueled by my mother's weird desire to trump the debutante-type kiddies for another time.) But that's just part of the territory.

Yes, conspicuous consumption and the competition surrounding it can rub some people the wrong way, but when it comes down to it, it really isn't going to kill anyone. If you don't like it, you don't need to jump into the fray. To be honest, people who think they are morally superior, because they refrain from purchasing material items bug me. I haven't bought clothes in over a year, but if my friend wants to flash her collection of $200 jeans and Gucci pumps, more power to her. You go girl! Mmmm hmmm! People have different ways of making themselves feel better. Some people go shopping. Some people go running. Some people paint. Some people, like me, spend their disposable income on exotic spices and kitchen appliances so I can cook fancy meals from scratch. So when someone wants to shut down an event, because the outside, non-school sponsored, private after parties might have too much bling rather than shutting it down because of the possibility of something truly harmful - like possible drug/alcohol related accidents or arrests, it just bugs me, just a little bit.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

I GOT A JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!

AND I'M 30 TODAY!