Balkinization  

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Discrimination against the Single

Mark Graber

Students at the University of Maryland Law School are selling tickets to their annual dance at $45 a person and $80 a couple. As a person whom I suspect was voted "Most Likely to be Dateless" from ages 15-25, I've often wondered about the couple discount at school dances, whether or not gay couples are included. At middle school and even high school dances, the incentive system seems perverse, given that I do not think school authorities should encourage pairing up at that age (it will happen regardless). But even in law school, I wonder whether this is a minor form of discriminationthat, while hardly worth a federal case, is worth a paragraph or so in Balkinization (and probably no more). After all, if we worry about stigmatic messages, I think 20sometimes without dates get lots of them and might benefit from one less. Curious what others think.

Comments:

It's a warm-up for acceptance of married filing jointly, which raises singles' rates.

And what about Ladies Night, unescorted ladies get in free, get half-price drinks, etc.?
 

putting aside the question of whether or not those who are unable to get dates for the prom are members of a protected class for constitutional purposes, mark, you and i well know that our beloved father would have gone miles out of his way to find a date simply so he would not have had to pay the extra five bucks on himself to go to the dance.... assuming he would have wanted to have gone to the prom at all...
 

"After all, if we worry about stigmatic messages, I think 20sometimes without dates get lots of them and might benefit from one less. "

my experience is that such pressures actually increase once one hits the thirtysomethings. it is the phenomenon of the 'token single' and has been a strong enough stigma to deter friends of mine from attending otherwise important social events.

henry is right that one can get around the cost issue by 'splitting' a couple's ticket with another token single, but it does not change the implicit message received.

finally, regarding the same sex issue, at my school, the couple ticket could only be purchased by a mixed-sex pairing. it was wrong and sent the additional message that being gay was 'bad,' but i would be highly surprised to find that that policy has changed.
 

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