Our Guys by Bernard Lefkowitz

¶ … Guys by Lefkowitz

Response to Part III ("All American Guys") of Our Guys by Bernard Lefkowitz

Part III of the book Our Guys by Bernard Lefkowitz "All American Guys," pp. 105-181, left me even more elaborately disgusted, with the Glen Ridge rapists; their friends; and the suburb of Glen Ridge in general, than had Part II of this book, "Secrets." The beginning of Part III highlights how Columbia High School, which the "Ridgers" attended, was an extreme "jock school," in relation to anything else, including academics. For example, Columbia High School allotted two full hours to the presentation of athletic awards to students, yet only gave fifteen minutes worth of acknowledgement to academic achievements. Moreover, Lefkowitz writes that a Yale University study had concluded, nearly 50 years earlier in 1941, that this school emphasized athletics far too much, as compared to academics and other extracurricular activities. Clearly, even 48 years later, Columbia High School had not bothered to change a bit!

The most alarming description in Part III (among numerous possibilities), I felt, was that of "Ryan's Wreck Chapter 16, pp. 131-138). Poor Mary Ryan, trying to be popular with the popular kids at Glen Ridge High School, had her house completely trashed by the jock-rapists and their sycophants. After all the damage was done, Tara, Peter Quigley's girlfriend, reflected blithely that this was simply the kind of thing that happened to a girl who, not being well-liked, made herself vulnerable to the clique's malevolent hi-jinks. And, as with the country club incident, no Glen Ridge High School students were (of course) ever brought to justice for "Ryan's Wreck."

In fact, many of them even wrote about it in their yearbook, and otherwise recollected this destructive and disastrous party, as one of the highlights of their high school years! In fact, I found myself asking as I read through this section of Part III, what was the difference between this destruction and the kind of destruction gangs from minority groups are often arrested and serve time for? Except for the fact that the perpetrators of "Ryan's Wreck" were white and privileged, and had parents with influence and deep pockets (and who would cover for each other, and each other's offspring) I see none.

Against this raucous and destructive setting, Lefkowitz next describes how Leslie, who, with a teenager's craving to be accepted by her peer group, wants more than anything, to be accepted by these miscreants and hoodlums. One cannot judge Leslie for this, however; although she was retarded, she was no different than any teenager in the respect of wanting to be liked, popular, and at the center of the "important" action. These are stages that all teenagers go through, and Leslie, because of her retardation and relative isolation (and because of past rejection by these "important" peers), yearned for acceptance by them all the more. That paved the way for Leslie's allowing the 13 jocks, on that fateful day in the Schertzer twins' basement, to rape her with a broomstick, a baseball bat, and perhaps another sharp and pointed object.

I was also disgusted by the jocks' inattention to their grades (or anything, for that matter, of serious importance - i.e., do any of these "special" adolescents ever so much as read a book; help a friend (with no "hidden agenda"); or volunteer community service? Of course not: they're all far too busy either indulging themselves; being indulged; and messing up other people's clubs; homes, and lives). Kevin Schertzer and John Maher (as if either needed the money) even steal money, jewelry, and other valuables from their fellow students at the Candy Cane Ball. Meanwhile, in the midst of all this jollity, Leslie is told she must transfer to West Orange High School, where she knows nobody, and receives an official diagnosis of mental retardation.

One aspect of this book that I like and admire a great deal, is that of how the author, very deftly and with apparent seamlessness (I'm sure it wasn't that easy, in reality) juxtaposes the "popular" kids' indulged, high-spirited, and often illegal acts against Leslie's sad, lonely life. None of them ever even try to include her in anything or to be even a little bit nice to her. How much effort would that have taken any of them to occasionally include her in something, or even to befriend her one on one, privately, if they were worried about how this would look to their other idiotic friends? Instead, these creeps just make fun of her and laugh at her to her face, and then laugh they laugh all the more, among themselves again, that they just made fun of her but she doesn't "get it."

People like this are often described as "acting like animals," but that is, quite frankly, an insult to animals, who with very few exceptions (e.g., due to abuse; inbreeding, or illness) never act this way, except in self-defense or in quest of food. I think that truthfully human beings are much worse than animals, in their intentionality.