Talk:Initiation rite

"The lack of a generic initiation rite for adolescents in contemporary Western culture may suggest an artificial, unstable and unsatisfactory aspect of that culture."

The inclusion of the word "may" doesn't render this a NPOV statement. What academics or noted figures have made this assertion? How have others responded in a public forum? Are there "generic" initiation rites in heavily industrialized, non-Western nations such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, . . .?

To quote Jimbo Wales from NPOV, "Perhaps the easiest way to make your writing more encyclopedic, is to write about what people believe, rather than what is so." And remember to name these people! --Rethunk

And who is to say that we don't have initiation rites in "contemporary Western culture"? High school graduation serves as one. Deb balls (or proms) another. And so on. Statement should definitely go.--Robert Merkel 05:43 Jan 29, 2003 (UTC)