(Photo by Richard Perry / The New York Times)

‘Sup GBD!

So there was this article a few days ago about hazing among girls at Millburn High School, which is one of the top-ranked schools in New Jersey (for academics and all that, not for hazing).

What kind of hazing are we talking about here?  Senior girls push freshman girls into lockers.  Blow whistles in their faces.  And, here’s the zinger, make a “slut list” of the incoming freshman.  I think the list is self-explanatory.  Anyway, they say that the pretty and popular 9th-graders typically make the list.  So, while some girls are obviously upset when they make the list, others actually get upset when they DON’T make the list because of the pretty/popular association.

Many of the people interviewed for the article asked to remain anonymous.  Students didn’t want to get tagged as a loser, and parents didn’t want their kids to be given a hard time.  The administration knows hazing exists, and the official school policy prohibits it.  But in the end, they can’t do much about it if people don’t step up and specifically say who’s responsible and what’s going on.

It also seems that hazing has been going on for a long time at Millburn High, but only among certain groups.  Most girls who were interviewed for the article said they had never been hazed.

So hazing.  What is it exactly?  What counts as hazing and what doesn’t?  Is there hazing at your school?  Have you ever witnessed or experienced hazing?  Is all hazing bad?  Is the type of hazing at Millburn High bad?  Some people say hazing is a rite of passage and builds camraderie and a tougher skin.  Agree or disagree?

Go ahead and read the article and tell us what you think.