Lenient Government

BY AURA RODRIGUEZ

Prom nominations start next week and every Bulldog’s dream would be to be called up to that circle stage and have a chance at taking that crown. WCHS students go to great lengths to be a part of the prom court. From posters, t-shirts, extravagant baked goods, candies, and chips, to posting their nomination number virtually anywhere they can, whether it be on a teacher’s white board or on a social networking website.

The social networking, the lovely social networking. We all know how that works, a cliché picture with bad editing and a sob story, or begging statement, plastered everywhere from Twitter to Instagram or Facebook. Homecoming season’s online campaigns  were dreadful. I can’t wait to see what prom season has in store for us.

But the real question is, why do these students want to be a part of the court system in the first place? What about being a prom queen or king is so attractive that students are willing to lose sleep over it? When first thinking of it, the answer seems a bit obvious, the title alone is attractive. The title of being king or queen brings superiority, power, elegance and grace to mind. But in reality, does a prom queen and king possess these characteristics? What power does a prom queen really have and what exactly does she accomplish from spending so much time, energy, and money on her campaign other than having a one-night experience?

I’m not saying we should do away with the prom court system, after all it has become a part of our American tradition; however there is room for improvement and there are things that should definitely change.

In the first place, the requirements for prom queen and king should definitely change, they are laughably low. It should take much more that a 2.0 GPA, a clean record and a pretty face. Rather than being based on popularity, prom court nominations should be based on personality. Miss Universe didn’t get her title or her crown because she had a lot of friends, WCHS’s prom queen and king should be able to say the same.

A prom queen or king should at least be an exceptional student, involved at WCHS,  involved in our community and hold at least one leadership position. However, the person’s background isn’t enough to vote on. For homecoming, we at least have the skits performed at the rally to base or vote on, prom should have something similar in addition to raised requirements.

Whether it be the glamour, the free prom tickets, the title or the fame, it’s time that we start thinking about why the court system exists and why the high school population has an obsession over it.

Political Prom Hypocrisy

BY CHARLIE SAN NICOLAS

Prom, a high school tradition that can be traced back to the simple co-ed banquets of the 19th century, is a very popular and eagerly anticipated annual event at high schools nationwide.

The tradition of having a court for prom with prom kings and queens is also a large cause of excitement for many high school students. Some argue against allowing students to run for prom king or queen and claim that it is in reality, a contest for popularity, and that many teenagers who attempt to run end up tragically hurt when they fail.

But this should not be a reason to do away with prom courts. In life, disappointments are thrown at us every day, why should one person’s bitterness or bias based on personal experience ruin the fun of others who have yet to fail or succeed?

That type of mentality is selfish and self-centered in which the teenagers who lobby against a prom court being held based on the close minded opinion that only the “popular” or “cool” people get chosen. They are victimizing themselves instead of joining in the atmosphere of innocent youthful memories.

The people who make this claim argue so fiercely that the concept of having a prom court is stereotypical and biased against the “unpopular” or “underdog,” but in even making this claim, they are stereotyping and being hypocritical themselves. We live in a society in which we judge one another far too quickly based on outward appearance or social status.

Making a claim that blankets everyone who wants to run for prom king or queen as kids who want to show off their “popularity” or “good looks” is not only close minded and ill-informed, but also offensive, to both the people who run, and the ones who don’t.