Thursday, May 29, 2008

Feel The Noise (Thursday Thirteen #39)

Last night I went to what was supposed to be a fun performance by the Fine Arts students at the Junior High School.

All of the students in band, music, drama and art display their talents in various forms and short performances throughout the school. Normally, this is a very cool thing, but this year, they decided to hold this event outside.

The kids were so unruly and rude that I’m wondering if they've ever been taught any manners at all. There really wasn’t enough room for the amount of people in that area and there was nowhere to put your lawn chair without having one leg on a rock causing you to tip over.

I went there anticipating enjoying some great music, but all I could do was feel the noise. The kids were Wild and Untamed Things. It was no quiet riot. It was a rocky horror show.

Today is Thursday Thirteen....and here’s mine....


Thirteen THINGS I WANTED TO SAY TO THESE KIDS LAST NIGHT


1. When someone is performing, especially in a windy courtyard with an acoustic guitar, please don’t make noise. If I wanted to hear screaming, screeching teenagers, I would have stayed at home.

2. When the conductor stops the performance and asks you to be quiet, saying “sorry” and then giving her the finger behind her back is not acceptable.

3. The lawn is not a garbage can. Dammit, Janet, pick up your crap!

4. Pushing and shoving other children is bad. Pushing them into the performers is exceptionally bad.

5. Yelling “Hey, sweet thang” and gyrating your pelvis is not appropriate behavior for 7th graders. Make You A Man? Hardly.

6. Unless you are a teen of the 80’s and stuck in a Time Warp, “The F Word” really isn’t an adjective, you know. It’s a verb. If you incorrectly use it six times per sentence, it loses it’s ooomph when you really need it.

7. When you see someone trying to videotape their child’s performance, please do not jump in front of the camera and act like a baboon or any other animal.

8. Do not touch other people’s things without asking first. This includes my stuff.

9. The reason you are so cold is because you aren’t completely dressed. You are a child, not Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Cover up the boobs, butts and bellybuttons and put some clothes on.

10. HOT PATOOTIE! Before throwing a cup of red juice into a crowd with the intent of “only hitting one person”, learn some physics. Upon impact, the energy will disperse and you will have splatter. I was wearing my new capri pants! Bless My Soul.

11. Do not use physical force in an attempt to steal someone’s winning raffle ticket.

12. Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a Touch me! Ummmmm, hello junior hoochie mama, get your hand off my son’s ass! Until further notice, his theme song is “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”. Thank you very much.

13. And in the true spirit of Rocky Horror, please don’t talk with your mouth full, even if it is only popcorn. Not only is it gross, it’s dangerous. You could choke.

That’s all. I’m Going Home!








19 comments:

Darla said...

Wow. I'm now filled with appreciation for my son's middle school. At the band concert last week, the only noise came when the 8th-graders cheered a favorite teacher. I'm not even kidding.

Well, and when the percussion section got a wee bit overenthusiastic with Smoke on the Water, but I enjoyed that part. :)

Anonymous said...

Is it just me or are teenagers getting louder and ruder? Im sure every generation says that, but Im 28, Im not that far removed, but it seems somewhere the usual bad ass group has become a lot larger.

Lucky you Darla! A big reason why I hesitate to go into teaching in the school system is because it seems the teens are harder and harder to control.

I hope your pants make it out alive!

Malcolm said...

Nice tie-in with "Rocky Horror...". I'll bet you wish you had your catsuit and matching catboots last night.

Anonymous said...

Great list ! I also really love your new look.

kay said...

Has civility completely left the building? Sounds like an awful evening.

Unknown said...

I absolutely love the fact you incorporated the cult classic RHPS into this post about rude people.
Happy TT, Hope you'll visit my 34th T13...Weird Word Verifications" at The Cafe.

Laura Paxton said...

Sounds like middle schoolers everywhere...Great list!

Qtpies7 said...

That certainly sounds like my idea of fun. That is why I avoid working with teens, they are dumb.

Unknown said...

It makes me so angry to see kids act that way. I'm not super mom, but one thing my kids are, is respectful. Shakes head. I'm sorry it happened.
Happy T13!

stace41971 said...

So sad that so many kids today act this way. I dont know whether to blame it on society in general or parenting or a mix of both. Its a hard balance when kids know that by saying "my mom yell at me all the time" or "my dad hit me" will get their parents "in trouble". In trying to protect our children we've taken all the control away from the adults and put it right in the kids hands. its sad..and scary.
sorry your concert was ruined, I remember going to concerts like that when I was younger and having a blast.
thanks for sharing..and i love the RHPC references..i need to pull that out and watch it again :-P

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Whoa. The kids of today... I can't decide if this makes me feel old or just cultured.

Jane said...

That was a horror show alright! My god, I don't know how you stuck it out so long. I would have found it hard not to be knocking heads together! Hope you don't suffer any longlasting effects from the trauma.

pjazzypar said...

Hey RC,

I lived in Long Beach, California for many years (I miss that town dearly). But I digress, anyhow, there was an old vintage theater on 4th St. and Cherry called the Art Theater that use to host the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" each and every Saturday at Midnight. I use to ride by and see the people dressed up like various characters in the film and I always wanted to go in the theater and check out the show. I never did for some of the reasons you mentioned in your TT.

Jenny McB said...

It all starts at home and exposes itself outside. Overall, I enjoyed working with most of my students when I taught. Is it okay to say that the ones who were rude and inconsiderate, are the losers now and I do get some satisfaction out of that?

Well at least they weren't throwing toilet paper.

Anonymous said...

If you think that was bad, I can't wait to hear what you are going to say about graduation "ceremonies." LOL. There is nothing "ceremonious" about them. Do our kids act like these when we aren't looking?

Traveler said...

Isn't it insane these days? I'm going to sound really old here but if I would have ever acted like that in public I would be missing limbs to this day. We could act up at home but the very worst thing you could do in our house was embarrass Mom and Dad in public.
My wife and I don't have children, probably a good thing but we attend school functions for my 12 yr old great nephew and so we have had a lot of the very same experiences.

JAM said...

Gee, thanks. My blood pressure went up 10 points just reading this.

Stupid kids.

Crystal said...

Good grief!

Anonymous said...

Number 11 reminded me of the time I went to Mardi Gras in '92. I was traveling by myself heading back from Florida after a series of art shows but I wanted to do Fat Tuesday.

I nearly got beat to death by a young kid for some cheap plastic beads! He literally threw me to the ground to grab them out of my reach!

I do go to Mardi Gras anymore. I go to the Jazz Fest instead.

BTW - lol @ "junior hoocie mama!