Night Walk Tribulation: Struggle To Maintain Order

On the first night of LABS, tensions were high between citizens and counselors. Citizens experienced their first night walk of the week, bringing with it confusion and frustration. The silence was deafening, but there was reason. According to one of the citizens of Boys State, a Bogafalaya citizen said, “I don’t understand the need to be silent. I understand the corners and formations for safety. The night walk is a good show for obedience, discipline, and maturity. One thing I would change for the night walk is the strictness on being silent, at least allow whispering.” However, no matter how annoying or extra something may be, there is always a reason behind it, not just for the counselors benefit, but ours.


Counselors comment on the necessity of night walks. A Parish Counselor said, “contrary to our regular walks, night walks are done quietly to ensure safety and efficiency . . . we can’t see something bad if it happens, and we need quiet and efficiency [to see it] . . . it’s really about safe transportation”. In response to the question “why are night walks necessary and how do they impact citizens?”, J.C. Stanga said, “For safety reasons . . . it’s at night, so safety comes first. If citizens were not safe . . . they would get hurt, have to go home, and then we just wouldn’t have any citizens”. The top priority of counselors is safety, which is difficult for energetic citizens. The tensions between citizens and counselors remains as a point of conflict between the fun and seriousness present at LABS.