High School Hazing: post #2

Something that Nuwer said in his first chapter really struck me. He said, "However, as less vigilant high schools, people who tend to get involved in clubs and activities may be subjected to hazing not just once but many times." This shocked me because as freshman you are encouraged to try out for many sports and join lots of clubs and groups so you can meet new people. But for a weak individualy (not just physically but emotionally and mentally) this could be potentially dangerous because you are more likely to be exposed to older individuals which leads to the possibility of hazing or bullying. This comes more into affect though in college where students must do pledges in order to get into the fraternities or sororities. I quickly developed a question after reading this: why is bullying such a big deal NOW, even though its been around for so long and it has never come across as a huge deal to most of society before? Lucky, my question was answered, "as reports of hazing are heard more frequently on the nightly news, in school board meetings, and in professional journals, one conclusion is unmistakable: hazing in high schools across the country is becoming an increasingly pervasive probelm that students, parents, school administrators and educators, and communities must address-and in a preventive way." Nuwer strongly believes this because while bullying problems can be small in high schools, it can also be a huge problem when gangs start to get involved and rituals start to form, and then drugs and alcohol get involved and can create huge problems for schools.