Bernard Lefkowitz's Our Guys

Premise:

· Cruelty
· Mistreatment
· Rape
· Disability
· Privilege
· Lack of respect
· Anger
· Friendship
· Advantages
· Friendship
· Laws
· Defend
· Jocks
· Rules
· Status

Argument:

Lefkowitz argues that affluence and privilege can inflate the self-importance of otherwise unremarkable young men, not always with good results.

Evidence:

1. 1. "I began to frame Glen Ridge as a story of power and powerlessness: the power of young males and the community that venerated them, and the powerlessness of one marginalized young woman-" (2)

2. “But I also recognized that even with all these advantages, kids don’t always fulfill their parents’ expectations. Some people have the benefit of wealth and nurturing parents and a good education, and still wind up morally and financially bankrupt. There are no fool proof master plans for success. I knew that because of what had happened three months before in this town”( 4)

3. “But these glen ridge kids they were pure gold every mother’s dream, every father’s pride. They were not only glen ridges finest but in their perfection they belonged to all of us. They were Our Guys”(5)

4. “Millions of Americans discovered that Glen Ridge was not a foreign and alien culture, but all too closely resembled their own communities. Glen Ridge’s test of character became America’s test of character… Like Glen Ridge, America has been forced in recent years to define what are fair, just and principled relations, between men and women. That has not been easy for Glen Ridge to do. And it hasn’t been easy for America either.”

Thoughts to share:
This story truly shows the privilege of white wealthy males in our American society. Reading this made me cringe. What those boys did to Leslie was awful and what made it worse was that people in the town were blaming her for it. The boys knew better without a doubt in my mind. This type of incident I am sure happens throughout America. And I think that it’s sickening that people who have power and privilege just dismiss it and think it’s ok and that it’s a tragedy to the perpetrators and the victim was asking for it. this is a prime example of what we have been talking about all semester