Hazing

Hazing is a problem because it is not always seen as a problem. As we read in the Rolling Stone article in class, most think that it is "just the way it is." I don't think that it is just the way it is though. No person should have to be put through all of the dehumanizing things that the students at Dartmouth, and I'm sure many, many colleges around the U.S. But here is the conflict, there are some positive things that come out of hazing. The one thing that gets me is when you are a freshman, scared and being punished by the upperclassmen, you are going to be put down so much and be beat down for so long that you will eventually desire to be like those upperclassmen. This to me seems like an unbreakable cycle. The only way to stop it, and this is beyond unlikely, is if every upperclassmen as a certain fraternity were to stop bullying and hazing the underclassmen right now, this instant. This would never happen though because those kids who are upperclassmen now were once in the exact same position that the underclassmen are in, its an awful cycle of violence. Being a freshmen in high school I longed for the day that I could be the big man on campus, walk down the halls with no fear, even maybe push a freshmen or two.

To me, the powerful bonds, the lifetime bonds that are created are not worth swimming in a pool full of human waste. Nothing is worth that. What annoys me the most is fraternities have great potential, the potential for friendship is there and the power is great, but it is misused.

The question that is on my mind is: How do you stop hazing? As I have said before there seems to be an endless cycle of unity, but some say otherwise. "Have the members of your group/organization work together on a community service project.  Visit a ropes course to work on group cohesiveness, communication and leadership skills," says StopHazing.org. And I think that many sororities and fraternities do successfully do these things occasionally, but why do they always revert back to the old drinking games? StopHazing.org also says, "Plan special events when the entire chapter gets together to attend a movie, play, or church service. Plan a "membership circle" when actives and pledges participate in a candlelight service in which each person has a chance to express what membership means to them." This, to me, seems a bit ridiculous. I mean, cmon, how many frat boys are going to want to all go to a church service together early on a Sunday morning. The Key to me is to be realistic. We know a few things, frat boys will drink, and they will haze. So, there needs to be a way to cut those two things down and control them.