"Our Guys" by Bernard Lefkowitz

Premise:
-sexual exploitation
-abuse/misunderstandings
-acceptance
-tragedy
-independance
-economic and family background
-peer pressure/desire to be cool
-coverups
-manipulation
-inherited traits
-leaders vs. followers
-sexual desires/ fantasies/ realities/ abuse
-perfection/idols in society

Argument:
Lefkowitz argues that the utopian-like town of Glen Ridge was home to seemingly perfect children with influential parents that made up the organized structure of the suburb. The highly praised and honored school athletes were so influential and manipulative among both the adults and other youth in the suburb. The incident involving Leslie Faber disrupted the seemingly perfect society and caused the morals of the youth of the town to be re-evaluated.

Evidence
-Lefkowitz notes that Jack Scherzer's father had a unrealistic view of his sons. He notes, "Now with Jack, you might not want to criticize his boys. because he seemed to think that they were nearly perfect. But so did lots of fathers."
-Lefkowitz questions the integrity of the people and the town itself when he questions, "Why did such a thign happen? Why in this peaceful little town of all places? Why these young men, the most pampered and favored boys in a town filled with pampered kids? Crime or onot, what these celebrated young men of Glen Ridge has done was ugly."
-Lefkowitz notes that the "boy's behavoir has always been the town's best-kept secret." This is evidence of residents' of Glen Ridge desire to keep the reputation of the young men as pristine and pure as possible, neglecting to recognize the fact that the young athletes were abusive criminals.

Questions/ Comments
After reading this article I was thoroughly disgusted. To think that human beings can mercilessly carry out such activites and for noone to own up to their behavoirs is utterly sickening. What is even more disheartening is the fact that events like this happen on the same scale in areas all over the country. It is the nature of society that some people have power and privilege and others do not and this privilege is what allows criminals acts such as the Glen Ridge travesty to be disregarded and sought to be hid from the rest of the nation. This is eye- opening to the nature of the human mind and how wrong can mentally be warped to seem right and or normal. It was actually really scary to read.