The I’m Shmacked Movement

Recent events at Lower Merion High School involving the online video craze I’m Shmacked shine a disturbing light on the reckless behavior of high school students. The video sparked justified outrage as it proved that more must be done in order to prevent dangerous behavior often associated with underage drinking. I’m Shmacked must be shut down.
On Tuesday February 21, the Lower Merion Police came across a disturbing online video of an off-campus party involving Lower Merion and Harriton High School students. The movie, produced by the company I’m Shmacked, chronicled the behavior of students at a party. The students were filmed binge drinking, smoking marijuana, stumbling down stairs, breaking windows, and boarding cars with open alcoholic beverages. Ultimately, the students were getting “shmacked”, a term defined by the urbandictionary.com as “being so drunk or high you can no longer function.” As I’m Shmacked’s profits continue to rise and its videos become increasingly popular online, it is clear that the “movement” must stop, for it serves as an irreverent and inappropriate celebration of grave problems found in every high school and college community.
The creators of I’m Shmacked are two Lower Merion High School graduates, Yofray Ray, 18, and Arya Toufanian, 19. On the company’s Facebook page, they state that the purpose of their business is to, “go to 12 of the best schools around the country, choose one student to stay at least 2 days there, document it to experience how the diversity differs at each college and what makes that school so special to its students. “ Toufanian insists, “”No alcohol or illegal substance is used during the filming, just props for a movie. However, I personally am completely shmacked when filming/photoing.” After taking down the Lower Merion and Harriton video at the request of local police, Toufanian stated, “No actual marijuana was used in the video, just synthetic legal buds that are used as props for our film. The alcohol is also just non-alcoholic beverages in other containers.” That statement is arguably false, for that would go against the supposed goal of I’m Shmacked. With fake substances, they are not documenting the true experience of a student, but rather a posed experience. It is incredibly doubtful that the creators of I’m Shmacked take the time to fabricate a party, especially when there are a multitude of parties going on around campus. I’m Shmacked has failed in their supposed goal. It seems clear that I’m Shmacked does not wish to inform others of college life, but rather just film people getting intoxicated.
The I’m Shmacked movement has also become particularly dangerous due to its encouragement of inappropriate behaviors such as underage drinking, drug-induced violence, and driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. In many of the I’m Shmacked videos, the students even brag about drinking, smoking, or driving with open containers while obviously inebriated. Lower Merion district attorney Risa Ferman stated, “They’re drinking, they’re smoking, they’re doing all those things, and they’re proud of it.”
The most concerning problem with I’m Shmacked is its glorification of reckless behavior. While underage drinking has been and will always be a part of high school and college life, irresponsible behavior does not have to be. Doug Young a Lower Merion spokesperson added, “Communities across the country are struggling with these same issues – with teenagers making incredibly dangerous decisions involving drugs and alcohol. For a company to glorify and profit from these behaviors is particularly appalling.”
As for students punishment, many locals feel that the school should not get involved since the party was off-campus and none of the students were seen in Lower Merion or Harriton gear. However, I’m Shmacked has made customized sweatshirts for all of the schools and colleges it has been to, and thus it again becomes a school issue as they face bad publicity. Only time will tell what, if any, legal trouble the students face.
The most important lesson that can be gleaned from this incident is to remember that, in our era of social networking and mass media, a stupid decision you make as a teenager can haunt you for the rest of your life. It can hurt not only your reputation in the short-term, but also your acceptance into schools and your eligibility for jobs down the line. As students involved await a decision by the school and local police, District Attorney Ferman reminds us of, “It’s stupid. What you like to do in your spare time – once it’s put online – can be given to colleges and employers to be used against you.”