One of the wackiest things going on in the country right now appears to be the rise of the freshman, as in (I’m consulting the synonym finder) “trainee,” “raw recruit,” “beginner,” “novice,” “amateur,” “rookie,” “greenhorn,” “tenderfoot,” “newcomer” and “new boy.”

All of a sudden, people with little or no experience are acting as if they actually know stuff. Man, there is nothing more dangerous than a “neophyte” with an inflated sense of knowledge, insight, expertise, and ego. That’s why in college they had what was called “Rat Week” when I was a freshman. It was a silly way to establish a pecking order and let freshmen know they were at the bottom of the “food chain.”

As a freshman “rat,” an upperclassman could stop you at any time and ask you to sing, hop on one foot, and do pushups or other campy stuff. We wore “rat hats” to add to the insult of being “newbies.” I’ll be the first to admit it was nothing compared to the hazing that goes on today. But “Rat Week” let you know you were a freshman, so take a low profile until next year when it would be your turn to humiliate a new bunch of incoming rats.

Today, however, the freshmen start off like gangbusters. Take the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at the University of Oklahoma. Those frat boys are what “fledgling” is all about; a bunch of baby birds chirping their fool heads off when they should have been shut-mouth. Those guys are the very definition of “underclassmen” or “undergraduate.” They were supposed to be “learners” and one of the first things you learn today is that everybody has a cell phone and everything gets recorded, even racist rants. That’s American Culture 101, man!

Then there’s incoming National Football League “freshman” Jameis Winston’s recent meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Honestly, in this instance it’s hard to decide which one is the freshman. Jameis spent all his time at Florida State making fool freshman decisions that involved everything from an alleged sexual assault to stealing crab legs from a store. Then he graduated to sophomoric stuff, like standing on a table in the student center and shouting vulgar sexual expressions.

Jameis asked for and got an audience with Roger Goodell that appears to have been Jameis’ way of assuring the commissioner that he won’t be repeating Florida State behavior in the NFL after he’s drafted next month. Still, the woman who accused Jameis Winston of sexual assault is pursuing her lawsuit against him and Florida State University. After all the domestic violence issues the NFL faced last season, is Roger going to talk to the woman and hear her side of the story in evaluating Jameis Winston? It’s extremely doubtful; it’s another “freshman” mistake foisted on someone who should have known better by someone who will in all likelihood retain a freshman attitude for the foreseeable future.

Then there’s freshman U.S. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas. Instead of hopping on one foot or doing pushups in the Senate chamber, Young Tom decided to give a crash course on U.S. government to the Iranians. Forget the fact the U.S. State Department is in delicate negotiations with the Iranians over nuclear matters. Let the freshman draw upon his vast reservoirs of knowledge and experience and have his say-so. It’s the new wave!

SAE frat boys, Famous Jameis, Tom Terrific: all qualify as freshmen; all are probably narcissists; all are definitely aggressors. It’s never been a better time to know so dang little and showcase it so much to the applause of so many.

Bob Morgan is a retired, award-winning journalist and author.