They left out the best part
I was very upset when I read about an invistagation of hazing at northwestern university. Especially when I read this part of the news article …..
…..A Web site on Monday displayed pictures allegedly of Northwestern soccer players in T-shirts and underwear, some wearing blindfolds and others with their hands tied behind their backs. …..
I am sure when you read this, that you were just as outraged as I was.
WHY DIDNT THEY LINK TO THE PHOTOS??????
Well, not to worry. After a bit of reinvestigation I was able to track down the website that the article mentions. It is http://www.badjocks.com/archive/2006/northwestern-womens-soccer-hazing.htm But after seeing the pictures, I am even more upset.
First up is the issue of what the students were wearing. Apparently having on only t-shirts and panties is suppose to be humiliating to some degree or another. The photos, however, detail just how uninspiring this actually is.
The only areas of bare skin were the face, the arms up to mid bicep and the legs from hip to knee. The regular soccer uniforms that the athletes wear out on the field are nearly as revealing. Come on! Brandi Chastain showed more skin than that.
The forced exercise and forced drinking are next to pointless. After all, these women are athletes, and being compelled to exercise wouldn’t be all that unusual. And college students chugging a beer is about as far removed from ‘punishment’ as I can imagine.
And the blindfolds? What they hell were they thinking? Cloth strip blindfolds are not particularity effective as there is a gap at the corner of the eye that lets the wearer peek out down the side of their nose. Sleep masks would have been much more effective and are available at any drugstore for just a couple bucks each.
Now don’t get me wrong. A cloth strip blindfold can be as sexy as all get out. But the blindfolds use in the photo set aren’t even appealing in that regard. The material seems to be some kind of thick cotton rather than a light luxurious scarf. And the tails don’t hang teasingly across the nape of the neck. Heck, its barely long enough to even knot in the back in the single overhand knot they appear to be using. Ya can tell thats just wont stay in place at all.
But the absolute most ludicrous part is the so-called attempt at binding the womens hands behind their back. Just simple sports tape is used and the wrists are not even crossed. The two wrists are tethered by a single strip running between them. The fingers are left free and there is absolutely nothing preventing them from just lifting their forearm and unwrapping the tape.
The body markings seemed fine when I first looked at them. But closer examination proved otherwise. In one photo there is a fist on the extreme left edge of the frame that is holding one of the marking pens. The oval shaped logo and stylistic swirl at the base clearly indicate that it is a Crayola washable rather than a permanent marker like a sharpie. The writing will clean right off.
Overall, there isn’t anything that I would consider that was done in the proper manner. Clearly nobody that night knew what they were doing. I know initiations like this are suppose to form some sort of tradition, but if they want to be taken seriously some changes need to be made.
Thats why I am taking this opportunity to offer my services as a consultant for the initiation of next years incoming class. It would be a thankless task I know, but I would be willing to make the sacrifice.