Landon School Scandal….

It’s been a while since I was taken back by a news story.

In fact, I haven’t been watching the news. I check headlines, but lately that has become more of a rarity. Maybe because it’s summer and I just don’t want to deal with the world’s tough issues.

But thanks to a tweet, I ran across this story. Maureen Dowd’s Op Ed in the New York Times called Their Dangerous Swagger. You should read it –

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/opinion/09dowd.html

This was followed up by the Washington Examiner doing a story –

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Landon-School-scrambles-to-contain-_slampigs_-scandal-96098939.html

And the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/09/AR2010060905925.html

Freshman boys from an elite private boys school called Landon were caught playing a game, sort of like fantasy football, complete with a draft. But this game involved girls in their area and the game was all about sexual encounters. Points for the basics – first, second and third base, even extra points for kissing up to the parents. Money was on the line, sex parties where points could be gained were planned and at the end of the year, the young boy with the most points, won.

So girls were going to be under the impression these boys actually cared about them, actually liked them…but the honest truth was simply about the game.

From the Op-Ed:
“Landon is where the sons of many prominent members of the community are sent to learn “the code of character,” where “a Landon man” is part of a “true Brotherhood” and is known for his good word, respect and honesty. The school’s Web site boasts about the Landon Civility Code; boys are expected to “work together to eliminate all forms of disrespect” and “respect one another and our surroundings in our decorum, appearance, and interactions.’”

This story really took me back. How can kids in a prep school with a “Civility Code” believe it’s ok to turn the emotional and physical life of girls in their community into a game?

What’s going on in these kid’s homes?

I have to admit that I’m seeing the stereotype: raised by a nanny, mom and dad work all the time, instead of dealing with kids issues parents just give the kids some money and send them to a movie. I know this is a stereotype, and I know I’m projecting perhaps my own stereotypes, but I can’t help it.

How do these boys treat their mothers and sisters? And what kind of picture of respect for women is being shown by their fathers?

What I’m really concerned about might be quite a bit deeper. After working with human trafficking groups for the past few years, there seems to be a sad trend where males (I won’t call them men) think of the women outside their home strictly as objects. They forget that girls on the porn sites have fathers and brothers and probably didn’t choose to have the lives they are leading. This opens the door to thinking that sex trafficking and sex tourism is ok.

But as long as the girls aren’t in their family, it doesn’t matter. They are property. A commodity. Something to be used for their instant pleasure, eventually only a credit card number is required.

I’m sorry, but people and property should never be the same thing.

Is it just me, or is this story really disturbing?

If some of the best educated, most promising young teens in the country think that it’s ok to convince a girl to let them kiss her so they can get points is just flat out disgusting. As if teens girls don’t have enough emotional and body issues to deal with, now lets throw in not knowing if a boy likes you because your YOU or because he wants to score extra points for a sick game.

Plus, how will this effect these young boys in the long term? I can only hope and pray that they realized that women are a gift to be prized, not a pawn in a game.

I guess this is the point where I plead to my male friends to be good examples to the young men in their lives.

Please let them know that every one is precious. Every one is unique. And every one is worthy of protecting, supporting and building up. Only then can we truly have a strong, trusting beautiful relationships that were created on the basic of mutual respect as God intended.