Asking Miss America on a Date

It seems that I am going against the grain here, what with so many defending this kid asking Miss America to the prom at a school assembly, but I think someone ought to make the case for manners and decorum, which I believe the kid did NOT show.

There are plenty of instances of school administrators acting like morons, but this isn't one of them. Instead it's an instance of sensationalist journalism making a martyr out of somebody. The issue isn't that he asked Miss America to prom, the issue they suspended him for was HE DISRUPTED AN ASSEMBLY. If you read the whole story, it shows that he stood up and asked her out in front of the whole school. At first I thought he had got up on stage, but he actually took advantage of a question-answer period. I'll admit it was a bit "cute" but I still think it's attention-whoring. He wanted to look "cool" in front of his friends, and put a famous person on the spot. Yes, she was gracious about it, but did she really have much choice in such a public setting? If he knew he would get in trouble for it, he should take it like a man, and the reports show that he DID know. Asking personal questions in that setting is just bad taste, IMHO.

Also, while I can understand public marriage proposals (when you know she's going to say yes and it's just a formality), I don't agree with public DATE proposals, because it puts the lady in a very awkward position. She has to either say yes, or say no in the most delicate, sweet manner possible to avoid looking like a jerk. It's not courageous, it only makes you LOOK courageous at the lady's expense.

Lastly, if I were a celebrity, I would NEVER date those who only knew me as fans. Sign autographs yes, visit schools and hospitals, yes. But actually spend somebody who merely wanted my aura to rub off on them? No, that kind of shallowness should not be rewarded. While I have not had the experience of everyone on the street knowing my name and face, I've read plenty of stories ranging for silly to scary about fans that just don't know where to draw the line. I also know something of what it is like to feel that everyone wants a piece of you, without regard for what YOU want.

So people, remember that celebrities are human beings also. While they do indeed owe their success and fame to their fans, they are still entitled to some amount of respect. Their time is not merely yours for the asking, and they certainly don't owe you a whole evening just because you want a bit of their star power.