Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
As they often say, rape is mostly about power. In other words, displays of dominance. Sexuality, violence and social humiliation are three prime paths to displaying dominance over others. It's why hazings so very, very often combine at least two in some way.
Violently sticking something up someone else's butt is a really easy way to do all three.
The need to prominently display dominance is of course important because dominance is, unfortunately, seen by many as a the most important part of masculinity, and few things tend to be as important to young men as proving their masculinity.
It's what some would call the toxic parts of our idea of masculinity. In many people's eyes, being able to hurt someone makes you more of a man, being able to humiliate someone makes you more of a man, and being able to sexually dominate someone definitely makes you more of a man.
Hence, sticking a broom up someone's butt makes sad little ####heads feel more like men. Pathetic, but not rare, and very much a symptom of larger cultural issues around masculinity.
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This hits at the heart of the issue. Yes people should be prosecuted. Yes the team leaders should be held accountable. I certainly agree with looking at regulating youth sports more closely (although I’d be a little careful with that).
But to really deal with this you have to be willing to discuss why it happens. And while hazing happens in all sports, it seems to me that hockey has historically had much worse cases of this. There are some parallels with college fraternities (young men away from home) Not to go down a rabbit hole but the junior hockey model in Canada could be entirely re evaluated IMO.
I love hockey. I love minor hockey which has been a big part of my life and my son’s life. But there are some parts of hockey culture which really bother me. Hazing and abuse of officials are at the top of the list.
