"Groin Punch Game" Harming More Boys

"Though most won’t admit it unless they have to, more teen boys are being treated after cringe-worthy attacks in which they’re slapped or punched in the groin, sometimes causing serious harm requiring surgery, doctors say." So begins an article today on MSNBC.com that you can read HERE.

This article attributes the increasing incidents to a 1998 episode of the cartoon South Park which featured the behavior apparently, as well  as the proliferation of 'viral videos' on You Tube in recent years showing these attacks. 

I'm a little skeptical about multiple aspects of this assertion, however. This was already huge when I was in elementary school in the 1970s. When I was in 4th grade, almost every guy in my class had to walk around the playground during recess in a perpetual protective crouch, ever vigilant against attack.  Woe betide any kid who momentarily let up his guard.  He would be on the ground in a fetal position within seconds.  And just as suddenly everyone would then be standing over him laughing, Lord of the Flies-style. Mercifully for all, this had all ebbed by 5th grade, when girls became more interesting than punching other guys in the shorts.  Though I must admit that, in spite of myself, the modern nicknames for this behavior that are cited in this article did make me smile.