Thursday, April 2, 2009

BYU Spring Festival of Nations

Ticket Lady: "Are you a student here?"

Me: "No..."

Ticket Lady: "Are you trying to grow a beard?"

Me: [puzzled] "... no..."

Ticket Lady: "You're going to have to shave."

Me: [confused] "... uh..." [figuring it out] "Right now?"

Ticket Lady: "We can't let you in unless you shave or are trying to grow a beard."

Me: [wanting to roll eyes] "Oh, I'm... trying to grow a beard."

Ticket Lady: "Good answer."

***

I guess I'm going to have to try to grow a beard so I don't feel guilty for lying.

Yes, I would feel guilty for lying.

Luckily (for this, anyway), I was reeled into the next community theatre show, "My Fair Lady" and was cast as Professor Zoltan Karparthy (I didn't want any speaking role; I didn't even show up for auditions, but they gave me one nonetheless).

Anyway, the character is supposed to have a beard, so, to stay an honest man, I'll try to grow one for the part. I doubt it'll pan out (I'm not a harry bloke), but all I said was that I was trying to grow a beard...

This has made me conclude that pride is an integral part of the LDS Church right now. I mean, I am not bound to the honor code of being clean shaven (and it's not like I'm slovenly; just a little scruffy). But when I'm on their grounds, I'm expected to be groomed as per their standards (to the point of it being preferable that I lie to having a little bit of hair on my face) or I'm kicked out.

It's ridiculous, really, and an extreme level of pride.

(No, I'm not angry -- I'm not speaking between gritted teeth but rolling eyes.)

6 comments:

  1. EXCUSE ME, BUT WTF DOES IT MATTER WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE GROWING A BEARD IF YOU'RE NOT A STUDENT.

    THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

    Sorry for shouting, Andrew.

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  2. I don't get why they asked. And that's weird that once you said you were trying to grow a beard they let you pass. Wouldn't trying to grow a beard be worse than just letting some scruff happen?

    By the way, you should have said you were going to the show. I was there, too. If you noticed somebody moving around with a camera from one side of the house to the other during the entire show... that would have been me.

    (P.S. - Don't judge the value of the folk dance program by any level of mediocrity you saw in the performance... Most of the dances were the beginning teams, with only a very few - like, three - performed by the top teams.)

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  3. Of course it's ridiculous. It's BYU. BYU is the epitome of ridiculous, childish behaviour, and most of it is exhibited by adults in positions of power.

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  4. Kengo: How DARE you shout on my blog!?! (no, it's cool)

    Kyle: It was a last minute decision -- and, don't worry; I could tell they were mostly the beginning teams and not the actual top teams (as much as BYU makes me groan with their holier-than-thou-ness; I highly respect their dance programs).

    Craig: I won't argue with you there.

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  5. Actually, you left out the ticket guy behind you who actually said something like, "*ahem* If you SAY you're trying to grow a beard, then we can let you in..." and THEN you said it, so you may have lied, but it was totally at their suggestion, which makes it even more ridiculous...to me, at least.

    Still, people who aren't bound by the honor code being held to grooming standards to attend a school event? ...I guess BYU events are more sacred than church meetings...

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  6. Omo: I'll give BYU, itself, the benefit of the doubt and assume that the guy who suggested I lie wasn't following BYU's rules whereas the girl was.

    If what I'm inferring makes sense.

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