My Eyes, They're Burning!

I had an um... interesting weekend. I was invited to a Halloween party. I love Halloween. I love Halloween parties. Many a year has passed me by that I had no Halloween party to attend. Thankfully, I have a wonderful client who throw a kick @ss Halloween party every year. Peter and I went together last year but he declined this year in favor of staying home with A. You see he's not really into that kind of thing. No problem, I asked a friend to be my date. The thing is my friend is only 20.

She called earlier in the evening to check and see if I wouldn't mind leaving the party for an hour to go to the bar where she works. (Who wants to go to the place they work when they aren't working?) I said sure. How bad could it be, right?

Wrong. So wrong. Possibly the most wrong I have ever been. See I was never really into the bar scene. Not even when I was younger. I've never been much of a drinker and it would bother me to watch everyone become more and more intoxicated and less and less inhibited. HA! HA HA! even. That was nothing. Those kids back then? They were chaste!

Upon walking into this bar with my 20 year old friend I was aghast at what I saw. Kids on the dance floor making 'Dirty Dancing' look like a Saturday morning children's program. It was a miracle that many of them were still able to stand up considering the amount of alcohol and possibly illegal substances they had ingested yet, remarkably, they were able to simulate sexual intercourse right there on the dance floor without any difficulty. I tried to avert my eyes but it was impossible, they were everywhere.

All that kept coming to my mind was that Reverand Shaw Moore had been right!

"Even if this was not a law, which it is, I'm afraid I would have a lot of difficulty endorsing an enterprise which is as fraught with genuine peril as I believe this one to be. Besides the liquor and the drugs which always seem to accompany such an event the thing that distresses me even more, Ren, is the spiritual corruption that can be involved. These dances and this kind of music can be destructive, and, uh, Ren, I'm afraid you're going to find most of the people in our community are gonna agree with me on this."

Which is funny right? Comparing myself to the guy we all loved to hate, or at least scoff at, as we watched that movie. But really, I'm thinking Rev. Moore had a point. Sure maybe what Ren and Ariel were doing wasn't SO bad. But I suspect if they made a movie about their grandchildren going to the clubs today dancing to 'Gimmie More' it would be a whole different story. AND I think Granny and Grandpa McCormack would be thinking that maybe their dad had been right all along.


Britney Spears Lyrics
Gimmie More (Remix) Lyrics

I'm not a prude. I'm not. But I have standards. And rules. There are certain things which I believe are not appropriate in public places. I felt horribly depressed about the degradation of our society and especially of young people's morals. I couldn't help imagining my daughter on that dance floor in 16 (16!) years, and wonder what that would look like. It makes me weak in the knees and sick to my stomach.

I'm optimistic and naive enough to believe that I will be able to raise her better. That this sort of thing will disgust her as much as it disgusts me when she is faced with it. That she will choose better than those kids. I have to believe it, otherwise the depression would render me useless.

Wow! I think I've come off as a complete nut job. Oh well! While I'm at it I might as well include the photo that will put the nail in that coffin.