Why do parties need a theme anyways? The point of a party is to have time off to celebrate and have fun. Not to worry about whether the napkins are going to match the balloons.
Normally, a lack of creativity is not to blame for a failed theme, instead the blame can be pinned on lack of time and money; two things everyone wishes they had an unlimited amount of.
Only the wealthy, which most students are not, have anywhere near unlimited amounts of time and money - and even then, time will eventually stop them.
Just to clarify, by themed parties I do not mean ABC (anything but clothes) parties - get your mind out of that (high school) gutter - I mean real, tasteful themes that go beyond costumes. Themes that uniformly incorporate decorations and entertainment. Themes that only the Playboy Mansion can pull off.
Tasteful parties? The Playboy Mansion? Isn't that an oxymoron? Well yes and no. Naked girls aside, the Playboy Mansion is known to throw extravagant and uniformly-themed parties.
Why are their themed parties always successful? Because they have a fortune and all the time in the world.
On the other hand, one recent and more relatable event, hosted by students in the University Union at Sacramento State, was representative of time and money cutting creativity short. This event was Phlagleblast, a celebration to familiarize students with features of the Union, held on Sept. 15.
"We had a brainstorming meeting and the jungle/safari theme came up, so we ran with it," said Zenia LaPorte, UNIQUE programs adviser.
Unfortunately, the Union staff did not run far enough or fast enough to convince the Sac State campus that the Union had been taken over by a jungle, much less a safari.
Which brings up another point, how are a safari and a jungle related?
The visual that comes to mind with a jungle includes an extensive canopy, monkeys, vines and a half-naked Tarzan. The visual that comes to mind with a safari includes fields of dry grass, zebras, jeeps and "adventurers" in silly outfits.
You can stack the two ideas next to each other, parallel to each other and on top of each other but they just do not blend together in any way.
"If it were a longer day and if we had a bigger budget, maybe we'd do more entertainment - but we were definitely busy enough with what we did have, plus staffing a table and helping out in general," LaPorte said.
The decorations were scarce and the entertainment was confusing. Magicians, caricature artists and balloon artists just do not go together - at least not in my mind.
The efforts of the staff were, I'm sure, well-intentioned but most of these employees are full-time college students: broke and busy. What may once have been a brilliant idea turned into Party City throw up.
Can you blame a group of college students for running out of time and money?
No, give them a break.
But it does pose the question of why people, above the age of 12, who are not rich celebrities, attempt to throw themed parties?
But it does pose the question of why people, above the age of 12, who are not rich celebrities, attempt to throw themed parties?
With more free-time and funding (a rich man's toiletries) Phlagleblast may have been an A-list event.
Instead, the Union looked like...the Union with a few inflatable monkeys and balloons.
If a party is going to be jungle/safari-themed there needs to be a tiger. Or at the very least a petting zoo.
My point is this: a party is a party, and will be successful as long as fun is allowed. So, why waste time and money on any unnecessary favors?
Have a sporadic party and enjoy yourself. The people that matter will come.
Just like those students who wanted to learn about the various functions of the Union would have learned - jungle/safari theme or not.
Have a sporadic party and enjoy yourself. The people that matter will come.
Just like those students who wanted to learn about the various functions of the Union would have learned - jungle/safari theme or not.
You say "Party City throw up" like it's a bad thing. I for one would pay any cover to see what that party would be like.
ReplyDeleteI also would have liked to see a petting zoo. But not just any petting zoo. A two-way petting zoo. It's where you can pet the animals and they can pet you back.
Call me crazy...but once I saw that you highlighted my petting zoo reference I knew exactly where you were going with your comment.
ReplyDeleteThe columnist did a nice job here, with rarely a misstep in the first half of the piece.
ReplyDeleteI think it might have been stronger to jump to the local connection more quickly. The reader is off thinking about the Playboy mansion when suddenly yanked to a very different reality - the University Union.
Still, the writer's analysis - that the whole UU project suffered from a lack of budget - hits the nail squarely.
It wasn't until I read this column that I realized what nagged me about the event.
If it was a safari-jungle theme, where exactly was the safari-jungle. I have more plastic palm trees and safari stuff at my bar in Mexico.
And a tiger would have made a nice addition - or a least a full-sized lion's outfit for Dean Sorenson instead of that sad little yellow fur he wore draped around his head.
BTW... perhaps this column could find a place in The State Hornet, or Hornet Online?
ReplyDelete