School Dances Are Pointless

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I guess you could say that I'm writing this post because I can't get anybody to go to a school dance with me, but I really do find them to be pointless.

Three things: they are a waste of money, they are socially troublesome for both NTs and non-NTs alike, and they have no academic value.

It is costly for one to go to a dance, and for a school to coordinate one. Food, reservations, and DJ hiring is included in the costs of coordination. Attire rental, transportation, and tickets are included in the costs for dance-goers. If nobody goes to a school dance, it would be a waste for the school. They sure could use that money for us non-NTs.

School dances increases anxiety in people. It may be over who one will ask and whether that person will accept or not, or it may be over who will ask one. One could always go stag, however, at the dance, anxiety will increase because the place is crowded.

You don't receive credit for going to a school dance, and you don't learn anything from it, either. What is there to learn? How can I apply this to real-life situations?

If anybody agrees or disagrees, feel free to post.

Meh, I agree with you on some points. Although I enjoy attending school dances with friends, I mainly enjoy the time spent before the dance at dinner. The dances themselves are crowded and too noisy.

Speaking of the environment of school dances, I HATE it when people assume that because you don't bring along a date that you can just dance with whoever you want. I'm not sure how it is at most schools, but at my high school, it's pretty much people lewdly grinding with their dates with no real groups of singles to be had!

Most of all, the date part bothers me the most. I've never gone to a school dance with a guy. It really bothers me that I can't even get a guy to go with "as friends" because my male friends all have other people whom they would rather go with (ie: girlfriends, or even that platonic senior girl friend that they attended my junior prom with).

Maybe it's just me, but I enjoy some parts of school dances, especially dressing up. But there are a lot of aspects that I could live without.

When I was in High School I didn't go to the Prom and I don't regret it, I went to a LAN Party and played Games with a buddy of mine.

I'll perform with my band, dressed up as green day no dancing required. Then I'll quietly slip out the back door to escape the noise I am making...hehehe

I remember the two most awkward moments in my high school years were school dance related. I don't dance. It is simply something I do not do. It's one of those NT things that I'll never be able to understand. That and an affinity for loud music and crowded places.

I agree with you on some of the points, and I certainly couldn't agree with you more on that school dances have little to no academic value when it applies to real world, and that they're socially troublesome for autistic and non-autistic people alike. Not to mention the financial aspect when paying to go to a school dance.

I think that school dances can be overrated at times when I feel like going to my high school prom is pointless for me but I decided to go anyway despite having no date, and I learn to have a good time there and have fun.

IMO, the most important skills a school can impart are:
- the ability to learn (not the actual content)
- the ability to socialize
- the ability to persuade people to give you a lot of money (most relevant for business schools)

It may seem now as if being able to talk to people at a dance is pointless, because there isn't any clear cut value attached to knowing people. In a more grown up context, being able to engage with that venture capitalist or that particularly brilliant researcher at some random fundraiser or dinner and dance can make life a whole lot easier.

In the end, isn't everything pointless?

I didn't go to any school dances.

I go to the big dances like Winter Ball (too young for Homecoming, but I can do that next year). Mostly because a lot of effort was put into them and a few of my friends were attending.

The smaller ones at my school are a huge waste of time, I'd say. They just hire a IT student for the DJ and throw a few streamers up.

Good to know I haven't wasted any of my life going to such events.