Week Eight: Popularity Contests

Sometimes, I wonder why we hold popularity contests at school.  In both high school and in college, though I confess, most of the time I vote based on how pretty I find the name.  In other words, it’s homecoming week at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.    I wasn’t aware the practice continued on into college.  In fact, until sometime in the middle of last week, I wasn’t even aware that we had a homecoming week.

How one is supposed to enter into this popularity contest I never figured out.  There didn’t seem to be a way anywhere I saw.  I assume you have to be in a sorority in order to be queen.  It certainly seems it!  Still, at times I wonder why such a popularity contest is held.  This is college. It’s certainly not a party college by any means, and yet, they’re having a popularity contest. This is a research college for goodness sake.

I suppose, if I think deeply on it, it holds a purpose.  After all, those who covet such a title must keep themselves trim if they want to win, knowing the shallowness of my generation.  They also have to have a rather large network, and one that is primarily locally based.  I suppose they also must know how to best present themselves.  Those are three things that certainly benefit you later in life….and three things that can be taught, experienced, or achieved through pretty much a gazillion other things out there.

Yep.

Still a popularity contest.

I don’t know.  Maybe it really is shallowness, or maybe it does serve a purpose, but to me, such a thing ought not be in college.  We’re here to learn things that we couldn’t learn in high school.  Not, to re-learn things we did. 

Not to say we can’t have fun.  We need to have fun too, if we’re to learn.  Balance and all that.  It’s just  I can’t help but not find contests like this at all interesting.  I voted alright…on the name I felt worked best together.

I vote on the merits of the decision the parents made.  Sometimes, it’s the most unique, other times, it’s the one that flows the smoothest.  But I don’t know these people, and I don’t like their lack of creativity in posters.  A good half of their pleas asking me to vote for them includes their last name and an internet meme.  How is this supposed to convince me?

Perhaps I am cynical, but that is my opinion.

One Final Byte: Popularity contests: Politics, TV, homecoming, and high school.