Earning Respect Among Peers

Before discussing the article Male Gender and Rituals of Resistance in the Palestinian Intifada in class, I did not think to relate this article to our American culture. Growing up in a small town, I have never been around gangs and therefore first missed the similarity between the initiation of gang members and of the Palestinian men. However, after our class discussion my interest was intrigued. I searched for gang initiations on the internet and was amazed and what some people go through in order to belong to a gang. Members go through various things ranging from being beat in to deeded in, or even sexed in for many females. Once someone has proved that they are strong enough for membership, then they are a member of the gang. This same concept is present within the Palestinian underground resistance movement. Once a young man has been in prison, survived the beatings, interrogations, and other forms of torture, he goes home to new respect from his family, friends, and neighbors. He is granted a position of leadership and honor. In both of these cases the men (or women in the gangs) earn their respect by withstanding such harsh treatment. This same concept of enduring an initiation process to be accepted is present on our own campus within sororities and fraternities. Many sororities and fraternities have prospective members go through hazing in which they are sometimes harassed and are forced to complete physically or mentally difficult tasks. However, it is becoming increasingly rare for initiations to consist of beatings as many college students are beginning to realize the dangers of these rituals. Gang members, many Palestinian men, and fraternity and sorority members are all trying to fit in or earn respect by withstanding sometimes harsh procedures. All three of these examples help to show how much, even to the point of self-sacrifice, people are willing to withstand in order to be a part of a group.