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Work is back in session. The seniors went to a meeting where they were given packages for their graduation gowns and all the ephemera that goes along with it. The cost is outrageous; the cheapest package is 260 dollars. Of course they could just buy the gown for 30 bucks, but they are sold on the idea that they need all of invitations, and memory books etc. I wonder about the ethicacy of bringing in a company like Herf-Jones to sell class rings one year followed by the gowns et al the next. These things are not cheap. I wonder also if the school gets a cut. I know when I taught journalism at the middle school that I was able to get a percentage of the money from the school pictures for the yearbook. It enabled me to sell the book cheaper. The various photographers would court me each year trying to get the contract for the next year, offering different deals. If the school does get a percentage off of the gown sales, shouldn’t that be stated up front? Could the price be lowered if the school took a smaller amount? If they do get a cut, where does the money go? Of course all of this is conjecture since I have no clue whether or not the school gets any money or not from the sales. I see all of this graduation stuff with a very cynical eye. Of course, I can go on about the importance of ritual in society, but that will have to wait until another day.