<p>I have to kinda agree with starbright. I mean, every school has that Fall Frenzy or Gathering On the Green or, I dunno–Hey, We Have Live Music. So if you’re trying to say they’re like everyone else, pointing out that it’s called “Lawnparties” and that they re self-referencing their preppy past in some kind of hyper-ironic way is, frankly, backfiring for me. I mean, cute and all, but maybe a bit of protesting too much.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s a relationship between preppiness and live music. There are plenty of big parties with live bands in uberpreppy meccas like Washington & Lee and UVA’s Rugby Road. Probably more than you’d find at a hippie campus like UC Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>I had figured that the point of the thread was to counter the idea that Princeton students are nerdy, not preppy. Lawnparties do make the point that everybody doesn’t live in the lab/library and just crawl out for meals.</p>
<p>Alum-
it looks just as son sound made it sound! </p>
<p>It’s like trying to explain reunions or the p-rade. It’s too hard. I got it when we went for son’s graduation and added reunions for fun.</p>
<p>As an executive member of one of the eating clubs he had the privilege of living in one vs. a residential college and given access to all the clubs…I did not recognize the significance again until we went.</p>
<p>Alu you suggested years ago son matriculate and I thank you for that. He’s now in med school and loved all his years at pton.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>I have to agree with starbright, Bay and garland here. And I should mention that Princeton is one of my favorite schools, it was my own dream school as a teenager, I have a young relative there and I visit the campus probably a half dozen times a year in conjunction with my work. I think it’s an awesome place, but nothing about this event seems unique in the slightest.</p>
<p>Just riffing here, but maybe it’s the word “lawn.” I mean, yeah, most houses have lawns, and people mow lawns, but when we do something out in them, it’s the *yard *we’re hanging in. The *lawn *is the green stuff on the bottom of the yard. It has a quasi-class feel to it, as opposed to a gathering in the yard. </p>
<p>I think schools do have characterizations that differentiate them; some schools may well be more lawny than yardy. I think parodying that, if lawnparties is a parody, in no way negates that.</p>
<p>When my D attended her school, they had a history of celebrating Zonker Harris Day (I don’t know if they still do.) Lots of lying out on the grass, frisbies, music, and probably some imbibing of not entirely legal substances. Was it a parody of them being counter-culturalish, and stoned? yeah. of course. Was there a grain of truth to this characterization? Yeah. of course.</p>
<p>Alumother, first off, you know I love your blog!
I was struck by this …</p>
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<p>It doesn’t surprise me that it’s the entire student body or a whole day - I would imagine plenty of other places have that type of thing, I know my alma mater did. Is there perhaps a part of Princeton’s beliefs that it alone has traditions or customs that other places don’t have, even though in actuality other places do indeed have similar events? Is this sense of imagined uniqueness perhaps part of the brand identity you are trying to get at?</p>
<p>I believe OP and both her kids went to P-ton (spouse, too?). Perhaps she has a limited view of what college life is like on other campuses. This may explain why she feels P-ton is unique with regard to having live bands/music festivals on campus.</p>
<p>I’m surprised at the snarky comments. Seems to me that the OP just wanted to showcase an event that she finds great. Sure, many colleges have music festivals, spring weekends, and such. But she’s talking about Princeton right now and that should be okay - and she did say, “For those interested.” </p>
<p>It’s impossible to explain irony or humor to those who cannot accept the premise of the joke in the first place.</p>
<p>I admire Alumother and I wouldn’t snark her for all the tea in China (or all the Small World Coffee in Princeton, as it were). No issues with someone showcasing an event that happens on his or her campus. The commentary that Alumother put behind it suggested one of two interpretations -
- that there was something ironic about the existence of Lawnparties that separated it from just any college’s music festival, or
- that there was something notable about Princeton having a music festival that, wow, looks like all those other colleges, imagine that state of affairs!</p>
<p>And I think some of us are just trying to understand what is it about the Princeton experience that would make her have that interpretation of what sounds like, to the rest of us, a pleasant but “expected” college experience. That’s all.</p>
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<p>What is the premise of the joke? OP said, “the point is the stereotype that Princeton kids are more preppy than other top universities.” I was sincere in my statement that I didn’t know preppies were not supposed to like live bands/concerts/festivals. Is that true, and is that the premise of the joke?</p>
<p>Music festivals et al are bohemian. Preppy is the antithesis of bohemian, and therein lies the irony. I’ve never visited Princeton and even I know that has an old money, preppy reputation - F. Scott Fitzgerald, anyone? Of course, Scott and Zelda are no longer knocking around (yes I know she did not attend) and admission to Princeton is nowadays merit based and quite diverse. I see lawnparties as a nod to a storied past, while being completely typical college right now.</p>
<p>And sometimes you just say, “Never mind.” By the way, Gourmetmom has it right.</p>
<p>As in, “Sorry I brought it up.”</p>
<p>As they say, consider your audience. Out here on the West Coast, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone refer to attending popular/rock live band concerts as “bohemian.” We also have very few “prep” schools in the sense that the East Coast does, so we don’t really have that heritage or understanding or dominant culture. My brother was the only one in my family to attend an prep school and it was on the eastern side of the continent, but after graduation he grew his hair and beard long and went to concerts and music festivals all the time. So please excuse my ignorance.</p>
<p>This whole thread reminds me a little bit of something that might have appeared at the bottom of a New Yorker cartoon: “I went to Princeton over the weekend. There were all these rock bands there.”</p>