Which of these events has become the most overblown and disgusting?

[OmahaBlueDog]

Poll question: Which of these events has become the most overblown and disgusting?

Based on HopeHoops rant and what I thought was an excellent response from Hedgehog.

These venerable, traditional events have become ever more expensive and are becoming excuses for endless one-upmanship. Many of them have TV shows based around the concept of how overblown and expensive they have become.

[TZ]

1. Even though I've actually never been to one

I voted bar/bat mitzvah. I've just heard too many stories from relatives about the excesses. Some people spend SIX digits on them!

[Rhythm]

2. I voted for "Prom"

Too many over-privileged teen-aged jerks in limousines and designer gowns that cost more than my last car... and then there's the dinner at Chez Wherever, and the hotel suite that Daddy hired so they could get drunk somewhere 'safe'.

Bah...






and get off my lawn while you're at it.

:hide:

[OmahaBlueDog]

3. The whole "hotel suite" thing just blows my mind

Basically, you're giving your kid and their friends permission to hold a drunken orgy.

I like two trends I've seen schools leaning toward. One is to hold an all night after-prom party. The second thing I like is the trend to ban limos. The limo thing had gotten way out of hand, and was a means for kids to hit a bar-on-wheels prior to showing up at the dance.

[Left Is Write]

37. Kids were renting hotel rooms when I went to my senior prom 25 years ago -

that part, at least, is nothing new.

There was a school-sponsored after-prom party on a riverboat that year, but I didn't attend (nor did I get a hotel room). My date and I and his sister and her date went back to my date's house and watched movies until about 2AM, and then I went home.

[OmahaBlueDog]

40. Mrs OBD and I drove to Ocean City to watch the sun rise over the ocean

Then we slept (no that's not a euphemism...we actually fell asleep) in the car for a few hours. Then we drove back....OK, breakfast was in there somewhere.

No, I know the hotel thing isn't new. I had a friend whose buddies all went in on renting the top floor of a hotel in Florida.

[Left Is Write]

42. I was actually kind of annoyed about getting home before 3AM -

my parents had gone out of town for my sister's college graduation and had actually given me permission to stay out all night!

[azmouse]

4. I'd have to say weddings, although all those events are overdone.

At least those other events have a lasting effect. Most marriages are temporary.

[rcrush]

5. I think weddings since they put you in the most debt.

[kedrys]

6. Weddings

The s.o. and I agreed to elope without having to even talk about it. We got married in front of the judge, and here we are 13 years and change later. My SiL's marriage lasted all of 14 months after a huge gaudy expen$$$ive wedding.

[cwydro]

7. Kind of off the subject, but

what is it with the smashing of wedding cake into each other's face? That seems a really horrid way to begin. Just wondered if someone could explain it.

[OmahaBlueDog]

8. Mrs. OBD and I did the cake smashing thing

If I remember correctly, the tradition is supposed to be a metaphor for the fighting and making up the couple will do over the years.

[cwydro]

9. OK.

The last wedding I went to was ages ago and this tradition had not yet taken hold, so I've only ever seen it in videos or on TV.

[OmahaBlueDog]

11. We were married in '88. I saw it at most weddings back then.

I really try to avoid weddings these days.

[Midlodemocrat]

13. We didn't do that. I always thought it was terribly disrespectful.

[cwydro]

18. The first time I saw it on a video

I was really shocked.

[OmahaBlueDog]

25. I thought it was fun. My family didn't like the idea, but hers did.

We kept the smashing of cake to a fairly modest and respectful level.

[Midlodemocrat]

28. I think if you do that, it's fine, but I've been to weddings where the

groom has shoved the entire piece in the bride's face, resulting in her breaking down in tears.

Mind you, these were younger couples, but still. Not particularly nice to do.

[OmahaBlueDog]

33. The DJ did the corny "The bride cuts the cake" song. She smeared about 1/5 of a piece of cake on me

So, I picked up a whole piece, mugged for the crowd. I remember my Aunt looking at me with the "you wouldn't!!!" expression, and I broke off an oversized piece, and fed it to my bride, some of which missed her mouth and found its way on and around her cheek.

[begin_within]

14. Seconded.

Smashing the cake in each other's faces is the stupidest "tradition" ever started. Second stupidest is the invention of wedding cakes themselves. A bunch of icky white frosting on icky white cake and have you noticed that 90% of it never gets eaten anyway? Third stupidest is freezing the top of the wedding cake and then eating it a year later.

[OmahaBlueDog]

27. Stupid though it may be, our top layer was lost, and I hear about it to this day

I bought Mrs. OBD a small wedding cake for our 20th Anniversary to try to make it up to her (note: the original loss was not in any way my fault, but - as with all things in marriage - I get blamed)

We had yummy white frosting over chocolate cake.

[begin_within]

31. That sounds good.

I'd rather eat a fresh cake than one which was frozen a long time anyway.

[KamaAina]

10. Other: Republican National Convention

:P

[sammythecat]

12. I went with Prom

Overall, I think it causes more anxiety than fun.

But then, what doesn't cause anxiety for high schoolers?

[begin_within]

15. The opening of a new mailbox:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZv5GmgGd18

[jmm]

16. Weddings

I've been to a few $100,000+ weddings but none that lasted more than a couple of years.

[OmahaBlueDog]

36. I've been to wedding receptions that cost half that much, and it seemed like they lasted longer than

the actual marriages. Some nights, I wake up in a cold sweat thinking that some of those receptions are still ongoing, and I've merely nodded off.

[Deja Q]

17. Well, if it's not the one where everybody parties over the guy getting his wiener chopped, then it's

the prom for which I vote.

[OmahaBlueDog]

23. I neglected Bris and Baptism parties.

Mea culpa

[Oeditpus Rex]

19. Other:

Lounge clique wars.



:eyes:

[OmahaBlueDog]

24. Nonsense - some boxed wine and take-out from Olive Garden. You can have a good evening of clique war

...for under $100. How Midlo chooses to dress, however, could seriously impact the price.

[BarenakedLady]

20. Weddings are a waste of money.

I barely remember mine, and I was sober.

[Inchworm]

21. Odd

I don't remember mine because my dad got me drunk and tried to get me to cancel :+

Hi!

:*

[OmahaBlueDog]

22. It makes me nuts when a couple has a pile of student loan debt, need a downpayment for a house....

..but instead they (or their parents) blow $25K to $100k on a 5-7 hour party.

[AlCzervik]

26. i do not acknowledge "Prom", i acknowledge "The Prom".

i stabbed Prom.

[Midlodemocrat]

29. and I salted its bones and burned them.

:puke:

Prom. Gah.

[AlCzervik]

30. we're going to hospital after we binge drink at University after Prom.

Kill it with fire!

[LostInAnomie]

32. Wedding and Prom are tied for me, but for different reasons.

Prom is disgusting and overblown because what started out as a simple dance where you dressed nicely has turned into a keeping up with the Joneses monstrosity. $1000 dresses, limos, fancy restaurants, hotel suites, etc. All for fucking high schoolers.

Weddings on the otherhand are disgusting for myriad reasons, most of which is the idea that somehow the bride is a princess therefore we should lavish ridiculous amounts of money and effort on flowers, decorations, cake, and countless other pieces of crap that will only be thrown away the next day. I read somewhere once that the average American wedding ranges between 80-100 thousand dollars. Is it really worth going into that much debt for something that probably won't last more than a few years?

[Dappleganger]

34. Kids birthday parties!

We have four kids and have NEVER rented one of those damn blow-up bouncy contraptions, stuck it in the front yard for screaming children then taken up the entire street with parked cars.

WTH is it with parents throwing parties like this for LITTLE KIDS???

[OmahaBlueDog]

35. In some places, that's actually not expensive.

IIRC, in South Florida you could get a bouncehouse for $75-100 bucks, and the kids had a ball. It was cheaper than skating, bowling, Chuck-E- Cheese, or movie parties. That said, I agree that kids birthday parties often get way out of hand.

[Left Is Write]

38. There are a lot of over-the-top birthday parties here.

I don't mind so much, because there really doesn't seem to be an attitude of one-upsmanship at all. My favorite birthday parties are the regular house parties, though - cake and ice cream, some games, maybe a craft or a pinata.

[DS1]

39. Lounge wars

[OmahaBlueDog]

41. If the Lounge were Major League Baseball, a lot of fines and 3 day suspensions would be coming down

I'd like to see the lounge get back to the days when posters are being called out and flamed for drinking Corbett Canyon out of a box rather than Black Box.

[femmocrat]

43. Weddings. My son's wedding cost more than our first house.

Ridiculous. :grr: