'Powder puff' football turns ugly

[zakur]

'Powder puff' hazing turns ugly (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-05-07-chicago-hazing_x.htm)

CHICAGO (AP) — A touch football game between suburban Chicago high school girls that turned into a brutal hazing is now the subject of investigation by police and school officials.
Officials at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook were examining videotapes taken by students who came to a local park Sunday to watch what had become an annual tradition — the "powder puff" football game between junior and senior girls.

Instead, they saw junior girls get beaten, splattered with paint and have mud and feces thrown in their faces. Five girls ended up in the hospital, one with a broken ankle and another who needed 10 stitches in her head.

School officials stressed that the game was not sanctioned and occurred off-campus without their knowledge.

"I guess there was some football involved, but then it was pushing, punching, hitting, putting buckets on heads ... showering people with debris and, according to one report, human excrement," said Northfield Township District 225 Superintendent Dave Hales. "It was hazing. It was deplorable treatment."Yikes! Those Chicago girls are rough!

Saw the tape. It was amazing. When did girls begin treating one another with such male-type violence? This is an important question for me, as I have judged the differences between the sexes to be getting fewer in number all the time. It really bothers me when women act in the most idiotic ways that men do...

Is this sexist, though?

[WildCat]

This has been big news here all week. Amazingly, this ritual was banned by the school 20 years ago!
Some traditions are hard to kill, I guess. There will be criminal charges for this soon.
This actually occured in Northbrook, a fairly well-to-do north suburb.
Here is the local version of the story (http://www.nbc5.com/news/2186362/detail.html), complete w/ video of the hazing.

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by Lost Sailor
Saw the tape. It was amazing. When did girls begin treating one another with such male-type violence? This is an important question for me, as I have judged the differences between the sexes to be getting fewer in number all the time. It really bothers me when women act in the most idiotic ways that men do...

Is this sexist, though?


There's a video. I predict this will become a hit around the world.

[subgenius]

One of the Network newsmags had a story tonight.... to me not about football....not about male v. female....to me all about desensitization to violence/cruelty in young people.....it was outrageous....glad a certain someone's not here to blame it on Matriarchal Totalitarianism......there were boys egging girls on to brutalize other kids......sickening.....and the police chief saying "Don't blame the cops/school administrators, what about the parents?" True, but he was buck passing.....its everyone's fault.....anyone who should have known about it is to blame.....there were girls with concussions and broken ankles....this was mob savagery.....
All it takes for evil to triumph........

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by subgenius
All it takes for evil to triumph........

Is the education system. I know, I have been there. This story doesn't surprise me at all.

[hgc]

I was watching a news story about this on one of the morning news shows today (maybe NBC), and they were showing snippets of interviews with kids at the school to illustrate the mixed feelings.

After a couple of snippets from students calling it wrong and disgusting and stuff like that, they have some girl saying, "What's the big deal? So some girl got cut on the head. She's not dead!" Now try to imagine this said in the most hilariously snotty teenage girl kind of inflection. I spit out my Cheerios.

[crackmonkey]

I saw the same snippet... that's what bothered me the most out of the whole brouhaha. It's disturbing to see girls beaten and brutalized by other girls, but I can rationalize it as a game that got out of control. Having someone later sneer at the concern shown for girls taken to the hospital is sickening. I wanted to throw something at the television.

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by crackmonkey
It's disturbing to see girls beaten and brutalized by other girls.....


Ones man's 'disturbed ' is another man's.... welll...


Anyway, someone's going to make a ton of money off that video..;)

[Diezel]

I just have to comment on the "desensitized to violence" and other such statements that make this seem like some recent development.

Hazing has been around as long as humans have formed groups, this is nothing new. And the fact they are women is nothing new. There was hazing going on in all female schools well before there was television and radio to "desensitize" us to violence.

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by Diezel
I just have to comment on the "desensitized to violence" and other such statements that make this seem like some recent development.

Hazing has been around as long as humans have formed groups, this is nothing new. And the fact they are women is nothing new. There was hazing going on in all female schools well before there was television and radio to "desensitize" us to violence.

Good points..


If we were really " desensitized ", it wouldn't be such a big deal..

[Tmy]

I think theres been an over reaction to hazing. Its treated like a hate crime or sumthin. Is it really that bad? Sure there are cases where it gets out of control but for most part its just traditional pranking. Back in highschool the football hazing consisted of tying up the sophmores and shaving their heads. Now a days Im sure thatd be newsworthy.

[subgenius]

Originally posted by Diezel
I just have to comment on the "desensitized to violence" and other such statements that make this seem like some recent development.

Hazing has been around as long as humans have formed groups, this is nothing new. And the fact they are women is nothing new. There was hazing going on in all female schools well before there was television and radio to "desensitize" us to violence.
Did you see the video? There's hazing and then there's hitting people with large hard buckets, kicking them in the head and elsewhere, breaking an ankle, jamming excrement in their mouths.
Man you were in a tough frat.

[Diezel]

Originally posted by subgenius

Man you were in a tough frat.

No, the Navy.

[Tmy]

Were the ankle breaking and stitches a result of the hazing, or were they injuries from the football game.?

[subgenius]

Originally posted by Tmy
Were the ankle breaking and stitches a result of the hazing, or were they injuries from the football game.?
The hazing, did you see the video?

[Tmy]

I only saw a short clip. The girls were kneeling down and haveing crap thrown at them.

[American]

People should be allowed to do any stupid thing they want. You don't have to do those things, so I don't see why people are upset.

[Bjorn]

What would Jedi say? :eek:

I bet he needs a straitjacket to keep him from commenting on this! :p

[hgc]

Originally posted by subgenius

Man you were in a tough frat.

Originally posted by Diezel


No, the Navy.
Diezel,

What happened the first time you crossed the equator? I've heard rumor of a very interesting hazing ritual for this.

[subgenius]

Originally posted by Tmy
I only saw a short clip. The girls were kneeling down and haveing crap thrown at them.
The whole thing should be seen before commenting. It turns quite violent and vicious.

[subgenius]

Originally posted by American
People should be allowed to do any stupid thing they want. You don't have to do those things, so I don't see why people are upset.
Assault people? They had to take two of the girls to the hospital.

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by subgenius

Assault people? They had to take two of the girls to the hospital.

I think American was talking about having the right to kneel down and have a bucket of crap poured on your head..:D

[Tmy]

Originally posted by subgenius

The whole thing should be seen before commenting. It turns quite violent and vicious.

Hey! the is the JREF board! Its tradition to comment, complian, and generalize about things we know nothing about.


I wasnt excusing these girls behavior. My point was more about the medias focus on hazing in the last few years and how it tends to be blown out of proportion.

Someone mentioned the equator thing. Dont they make you crawl through garbage and kiss Posidens feet or sumthing. Im sure this is still done in the Navy...........that is until the big 60 minutes expose comes along.

[Diezel]

Originally posted by hgc

Diezel,

What happened the first time you crossed the equator? I've heard rumor of a very interesting hazing ritual for this.

Yes, it is a very interesting ritual. :D

I am proud to say that I am a shellback. But I never got to break in any wogs. :(

The ritual has toned down in years, but it is still quite vicious.

Here is a good account: http://members.global2000.net/~macminn/Shellback/Shellback.html

Notice when they say "whipped with greased socks full of rags", replace that with "small, stinging, line". :eek:

And the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is not the nicest environment to have to walk across on your hands and knees. It is covered with "non-skid", which is a very, very rough ashpalt type material, embedded with jet fuel and hydraulic oil that has leaked into it. Get across the deck and your pants are shredded, along with your hands and knees. :eek:

[Diezel]

http://www.mgte.com/indy/sb4.jpg

There are tons of pics online if you want to find more. Just Google "shellback initiation".

[Chris Haynes]

Originally posted by hgc
I..., they have some girl saying, "What's the big deal? So some girl got cut on the head. She's not dead!" Now try to imagine this said in the most hilariously snotty teenage girl kind of inflection. I spit out my Cheerios.

Sarcasm mode on:
Her parents must be so proud of how they brought her up.