Talking Point 9

Talking Point 9: Bernard Lefkowitz, Our Guys

Premise:
• White culture of power
• Male dominance
• Privilege of athletes in high school
• Social nihilism by “perfect” kids
• Premeditated rape
• Taking advantage of mental lapses
• Perfect neighborhood turned imperfect
• Differences in people
• Striving to fit in and be liked
• Susceptibility to enticement
• Morally heinous acts
• Bringing down the image of the “golden children”
• Realization of what people are capable of
• Explicit chauvinistic practices

Author’s Argument:
Lefkowitz argues that social nihilism can happen in any town regardless of prestige and that so-called “golden children” raised in a good neighborhood can truly possess the ability to have evil tendencies. He basically shows that even white male children of privilege in Glen Hills are not perfect and not impervious to engaging in actions that would get them in trouble with the law, such as taking advantage of a mentally challenged girl, Leslie Faber.

Evidence:
1. “The stories conveyed a sense of shock that these atrocious acts could have happened in such a prosperous and tranquil town. If the charges were true, this was certainly an appalling crime.” In this quote, Lefkowitz expresses utter surprise at the “rumors” or rape had spread throughout the news coming from such a “perfect” town.
2. “The papers reported that on March 1, 1989, thirteen males were present in the basement where the alleged rape occurred…Glen Ridge is a small place, and there were only a hundred or so students in the senior class. What we were talking about here—20 or 30 percent of the senior males?” Lefkowitz points to how many of the boys had been involved in such a heinous act. It proved to be truly eye-opening as to how many ostensibly well-raised kids from a good town could have had the audacity to commit this terrible crime.
3. “Whoa. Wait a minute. She knew these names. She knew these kids. Archer, Scherzer, Grober, Quigley. They were popular, they came from good families, they were the best athletes in the high school. Some of them had been in a few scrapes with the law. Noisy parties, underage drinking—nothing major.” Sheila Byron, a graduate of Glen Hills High School and member of the town’s police force, was shocked by the report she read that outlined the names of the suspects involved. It goes to show that even though some people have a good reputation; acts leading to the rape charge like that the boys brought upon themselves can change that in a heartbeat.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
Lefkowitz’s article truly illustrates just how capricious certain people can be and that it does not matter where someone grows up or their background; anyone can make bad, malicious decisions. I thought Lefkowitz did a good job of detailing his perspective and at the same time told the story in as neutral a stance possible. Our Guys turned out to be a good reading and I thought that since it was presented in a story format it flowed smoothly. It relates to other texts that we have read such as McIntosh with the idea of whiteness as an invisible privilege because these kids since they were white and from a nice neighborhood, at first, were not believed to have been capable of such a despicable act. This article could also be related to Johnson because Leslie took action and spoke out against the guys that raped her and Johnson I believe would have been proud to see her take that step. Overall, I think that this article provided good insight as to shattering the image of perfect white neighborhoods and that white, privileged children do not always make the right decisions in some circumstances.