High School Redux

In a shocking development, Audrina Partridge was voted off "Dancing With The Stars" last night despite having the second-highest judges' score of the seven remaining contestants. Former football star Curt Warner and Alaska's First Daughter Bristol Palin live to fight (or dance) another day even though they scored lowest on Monday night's show. Judges Len, Bruno, and Carrie Ann were aghast at the public's choice.

Apparently, Len, Bruno, and Carrie Ann never went to high school. If a student combining the ruthlessness of Bismarck, the vision of Woodrow Wilson and the charm of Kennedy ran for Class President at Anywhere High, he would still lose to the good-looking jock who wears the right clothes and has the fashionable haircut even if said jock is functionally illiterate. Elections are popularity contests in high school and that continues in public life and even on Reality TV. The taller (and some would say better-looking) candidate has won every Presidential election since FDR (and we've got to give old Franklin a pass here what with the wheelchair and all).

An example from my high school days - To maximize their profits from the lucrative senior photo scam, a local photographer offered business card thingies embossed with "Central High Class of '65" and our names. This was before our wallet-size senior photos were available so it became the craze to write witticisms on the back of these business cards and distribute them to our closest hundred or so friends. There were about ten kids in the class from whom one could order these cards. Unsurprisingly, the pert and popular cheerleader girl sold about 90% of the cards while the other nine common folk shared the remainder even though they were the ones setting up "Buy Here" tables in the cafeteria. We tend to support the popular kid even if she doesn't try.

Most of us never mature beyond high school. We vote for Curt Warner and Bristol Palin because they are popular. So what if Audrina can dance circles around them. You've forgotten those Life Lessons from high school, Len, Bruno, and Carrie Ann.