I say just film 'em from the waist up

A California high school principal has banned all of his school's dances rather than let the kids "freak" dance. I have little doubt in my mind that this high school principal would be scandalized by Elvis Presley's pelvis being in the shot on TV, but what do I know?

The ban on dances includes the school's Sadie Hawkins dance in February and the junior and senior proms in the spring, but Bennett said they could be rescheduled if students modify their behavior.

Of course, there's no way to know if they have modified their behavior unless you let them dance. But at least the school saves DJ money.

"It's really up to the kids at this point. They have to take some responsibility," Bennett said.

I completely back this guy up. Instead of having dances where the kids can dance suggestively, they should just have nothing for the kids to do so they end up having sex on the weekends instead. I know of which I speak. We only had 2 dances a year at my high school so most weekends most kids hung out in pickup trucks outside of town drinking beer and screwing around. But at least the kids got some exercise when the cops would show up and they'd flee.

One idea is to let students sign a form stating that raunchy dancing will get them kicked out.

Students hope similar regulations could lead to the reinstatement of other dances, particularly the prom.

Man, these kids have no imagination. I would come up with a list of things like only allowing square dancing and the polka. (Waltzing dancers stand way too close to each other.) Or just making the dance an all-night twist contest. Or get rid of all dancing, as that is bodies moving and that can cause lacivious thoughts. I mean, how do you draw the line in the sand on what's "freaking" and what's not? Obviously, some amount of pelvic movement has been acceptable for teenagers since at least the mid-60's. So why not an all-night poker game or something like that?

Yes yes yes, I realize that kids acting out sexually on the dance floor is "different" now, more graphic and to music that I mostly don't like, either. But we do ourselves a big disservice to think that kids today are really all that different. Like this quote:

"Some students save up all year to buy a dress or rent a tuxedo and buy flowers for the prom," said student body president Zohra Lakhani, a 17-year-old senior. "To crush everyone's dreams, it's not fair."

Why spare this girl the same crushing disappointment that the rest of us went through when we found out that a grown-up dress and a corsage doesn't make you and your boyfriend any different than the jeans-wearing kids you were yesterday?