It’s Not Cute, It’s Weird

Story bMark Carlisle

There’s nothing cute about a man in his 30s going on a date with a high school girl, but the Internet seems to disagree with me.

In today’s viral video age, a new trend has surfaced where teens ask celebrities to be their prom dates via Youtube videos or Twitter. These stories get circulated around the web and local news broadcasts as cute little fluff pieces. They act it as if a cat just got rescued from a tree instead of a 17-year-old girl going on a date with a man twice her age.

The most recent of these stories came Feb. 26 when Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker Emmanuel Acho came through on his promise that he would take a 16-year-old fan to prom if she got 10,000 retweets. Acho showed up at the school with a No. 15 Eagles jersey with “PROM” written across the back. Isn’t that sweet?

Acho is 24. Now, at my prom a girl wasn’t allowed to bring her boyfriend to the prom because he was 20. I don’t know if I agree with that policy, but there should be an age cutoff is all I’m trying to say. And it should be below 24.

The highest-profile celebrity in the past few years was in 2013 when Dwyane Wade responded to a fan’s Youtube video and took her to prom. He was 31 at the time.

Thirty-one.

The story was shown on SportsCenter as come cutesy little “giving back to the fans” story.

There’s nothing cute about a 31-year-old divorced man taking a 17-year-old girl on a date. If he wants to give back, he can pay for her college.

And let’s be clear, this girl isn’t a loser. She’s not the outcast that nobody asked to the dance. This girl’s hot. Dwyane Wade wants to do illegal things with this girl (and very well might have).

If his daughter brings home a 19-year-old with an earring for a prom date, a lot of fathers will meet them on the porch with a shot gun. But if she brings home a 31-year-old with a couple of championship rings, he’ll bring down a ball to sign.

In 2013, then 37-year-old Evelyn Lozado, former star of “Basketball Wives,” took a 19-year-old fan to prom. It doesn’t make it any less creepy when a woman does it.

If Dwyane Wade showed up to a formal dinner with a 17-year-old date, it would raise all sorts of eyebrows. Why doesn’t it when it’s the other way around?

I know this country is obsessed with celebrities, but that obsession shouldn’t extend to pedophilia.

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