Freshman Senator Gets Hazed By Georgia Legislature

Dillon Cheverere12 years ago

From ajc:

Freshman Sen. Tyler Harper, R-Ocilla, stands on a stool at the podium as he gets “hazed” by Sen. Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, right, as Sen. Harper introduces his first bill, Senate Bill 91, in the Senate chambers Wednesday, Feb. 13. Every time a freshman senator sponsors his or her first bill, fellow senators “haze” them in the Senate chambers as a sort of rite of passage. Because of his height, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle made Sen. Harper stand on a stool as Cagle said, “So we can see you.”

I was never much of a hazer. Call me a softie if you must, but I just never had it in me. Well, let me rephrase: I was never much of a physical hazer. It just wasn’t my thing. My specialty was simply making fun of the pledges — either making of fun of them or getting them to crack during lineup when the only acceptable demeanor was the classic “eyes on the ceiling, do not speak unless spoken to” pledge expectation. Of course if I succeeded, that’s when the pro-hazers would step in and take it to the physical level.

I went with a lot of “Hey pledge, _______ called, and he wants his _______ back” type of stuff, and I went to it often. Or sometimes I’d mix in the occasional over-the-shoulder vulgar/sweet nothing whispers until they cracked up. You know, just another added element into the constant goal of psychological persecution.

That’s why when I saw this photo of the very short Senator Tyler Harper delivering his first bill to the Senate while standing on a box, I nearly lost my shit. Classic hazing by humiliation. Just look at that little guy trying to command the room — a room where real life important stuff goes down — while standing on a heightening box. That’s the equivalent of using a booster chair in a board meeting.

The Good Ole Boy network is still very much alive in American politics.

Hilarious.

I can’t help but be reminded of the NFL rookie hazing story about the 5’5″ Trindon Holliday showing up to Houston Texans training camp to find this tricycle waiting for him:

[H/T to tanktime]
[via ajc]

Image via Bleacher Report