In
recent years, bullying has become a major issue within American education. This past week, it has dominated headlines in
America’s number one sport – professional football. Miami Dolphins’ offensive lineman Jonathan
Martin left the team without explanation and over this last week, it has been
determined that teammate Richie Incognito was the reason. Evidence emerged that Mr. Incognito sent some
pretty vile texts and tweets to his teammate.
This seems to have been done with the acknowledgement of the coaching
staff in order to toughen up Mr. Martin.
While outsiders have jumped to the defense of the offended, there is a
dynamic with which few critics are familiar.
One
of the developments is the near complete lack of support for Mr. Martin coming
from his former teammates. I believe
this to be the product of team, not individual, thinking. Mr. Martin has taken something in-house out
into the public – a public that neither can or wants to consider the team
context. A team works on the basis of
trust. A part of that trust is an
understanding that the internal conflicts do not become public fodder. Critics might suggest that people like Mr.
Incognito thrive on that type of culture but it is that type of culture which
creates the fidelity and fraternity that are instrumental toward team success.
Then,
there is the issue of hazing or initiation that is often present in group or
team dynamics. Such things are quite
common and serve a group purpose. A
newcomer into a group must quickly understand the values of the group and
integrate into the relationships. Doing
this shows a commitment to the group, the people within and the goals of the
group. Typically, everyone has done
something that serves as an initiation and they oversee the process for
newcomers. As a member of the military,
I went through various traditions and I’ve doled them out as well. The purpose is never to hurt necessarily but
to ascertain the character of the person seeking entrance into our team. This is not a capricious concern but one that
could determine our future success or failure.
If one has never been a part of this type of relationship, it might seem
strange, even sadistic, but it serves a purpose.
The
other feature to all of this is the proposed racism involved. When I was in the military (certainly a team
environment), the teasing and needling was part of the bonding. It is too early to tell if this is really
racism or not. I would suggest it is not
always racism but the absence of racism.
Race meant nothing to my platoon – everyone was called everything. As a Jew, I was called a kike and Heb and
Holocaust jokes were slipped in frequently.
Whether you were a redneck, Asian, Hispanic or black, there was not a label or
slander not heard. In these types
of environments, race means nothing and therefore the words mean nothing. One’s worth is based simply on what one
contributes to the group. Words based
off this were the ones that hurt – if you were called a slacker or weak. People outside these groups cannot understand
but that is the reality. When the
individual no longer matters, one’s ability to fit into and work within the
group is all important.
There
is a good chance that Mr. Incognito is just a jerk and a racist (the kind that
typically gets weeded out in a true team environment). This article is not in defense of him or what
he allegedly has done. What I do defend
is the group/team culture. This can
sometimes include things considered unacceptable in the outside world. I cannot make “civilians” understand because
they never will unless in that position.
Yet a system cannot be punished simply because others do not
understand. There is value here and such
teams or groups have changed the world (or brightened an occasional
weekend). We would all do well to
reflect on that.
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