Boys will be boys is not a reasonable reaction to the recent hazing incident in a McNary High School locker room resulting in the arrest of five minors.
McNary High School’s leadership needs to address the question of where the coaches were when the physical abuse was taking place. Unless a student being physically harmed remained stone silent during the assault, is it believable that no adults heard the victims?
We don’t know why some members of the McNary freshman footgall team decided to re-enact Lord of the Flies. Every team has a hierarchy, some are leaders, some are followers. We don’t know why fellow teammates did not step forward and demand the hazing stop and protect their mates.
A teenager in Las Vegas died from injuries he received earlier this month when he was beaten by a mob outside a high school, by approximately 15 individuals.The student was attacked after he jumped in to help his friend—a smaller boy who had something stolen from him by the group and was thrown into a trash can.
Videos of the incident circulated online and show the teen on the ground as he is being kicked and punched in a large brawl. Other teens stand to the side and can be seen filming with their cellphones.
Society has gotten to the point where people act in less than humane ways, often without consequence. The perpetrators of the McNary hazing were arrested after an investigation and will suffer the consequences when one commits assault.
People without personal knowledge of the incident were quick to post on social media their reactions. As usual the comments turned ugly quickly. In literature, Hester Prynne was forced to wear a big red A for her actions.
In our system the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The suspects are due their time in the judicial system, yet they should not be coddled. If you are old enough to cause harm to others, you are old enough to be penalized. Be it jail time or stiff fines, the penalty needs to fit the crime.
—LAZ