Who, what, why: Why is hazing so common? (high school, paying, accepted) - Higher education - City-Data Forum

Baldrick · 05-04-2012, 03:42 AM

A good article this..

BBC News - Who, what, why: Why is hazing so common?

"In November 2011, 26-year-old Robert Champion died from injuries he sustained after a beating. At least one person dies in the US as a result of hazing each year. But why is it still so common?
The beating of Robert Champion was not done in anger or retaliation. It was not to make him feel excluded or to warn him away.
Instead it was considered a rite of passage, part of the induction rituals doled out to new members of the Florida A&M University marching band, the Marching 100."

Pitt Chick · 05-04-2012, 06:16 AM

"Why is hazing so common?"

It is not common now. But even one death per year is inexcusable.
It WAS very much the norm back in the 70s... but many organizations ban it now.

joe from dayton · 05-04-2012, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

"Why is hazing so common?"

It is not common now. But even one death per year is inexcusable.
It WAS very much the norm back in the 70s... but many organizations ban it now.

Just because it is banned does not mean that it does not occur.

FOReverxpeace · 05-05-2012, 12:56 AM

People with power will want to take full advantage of anything they can. You don't think hazing is common in sororities and fraternities? It probably is the most common. It just clearly brings out the cruel side of people.

maf763 · 05-05-2012, 04:30 AM

I can't imagine, as a legal adult, why I would want to join a group that required me to do stupid things to be a part of it. I could see giving newbies the crap jobs a group might need done, but "sexual coercion, forced alcohol consumption, or dangerous "pranks" like forcing people to eat vile food mixtures or consume large amounts of water"? That's just stupid.

mcatp · 05-05-2012, 06:25 AM

We had hazing in High School band. It was supervised by the directors, but there is no other way around it, but calling it hazing. It was not anything physical like running for 4 hours straight. It was giving the rookies a bib and pacie to wear around their neck during practice, and making them do "air raid" and some other things like that. But we did have a date that ended. At the end of the summer band camp we had a Kangaroo court where the seniors could call anyone out and make them do mad dog, or air raid, but after that doing any sort of that stuff was complete off limits.

Being a member of a sorority in college and learning about all the actions that are considered hazing I realized we hazed every body in high school. Nothing like that happened in college but there are places where it does happen because it is "tradition". I hate saying tradition because I don't want it to seem like it is a good thing. It can be so engrained in some of these chapters and organizations that it is hard to teach them why it is bad and how harmful it can be. There will be a group that says the people before us did it, why can't we? Breaking the cycle is the hardest part.

Pitt Chick · 05-05-2012, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe from dayton

Just because it is banned does not mean that it does not occur.

Well, duh.... hence the one death a year statistic!

But it was common and accepted in the 70s... it is not now.

Gatornation · 05-05-2012, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maf763

I can't imagine, as a legal adult, why I would want to join a group that required me to do stupid things to be a part of it. I could see giving newbies the crap jobs a group might need done, but "sexual coercion, forced alcohol consumption, or dangerous "pranks" like forcing people to eat vile food mixtures or consume large amounts of water"? That's just stupid.

Well consider your typical person that joins a frat or sorority.

robertpolyglot · 05-05-2012, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatornation

Well consider your typical person that joins a frat or sorority.

Exactly what I was thinking. I know of a few people that endured quite a bit to get into a frat/sorority that would boost their social standing. While he couldn't tell me what transpired, I saw one person's "Hell Night" clothing. This was a person who wasn't "cool enough" to be in THAT particular fraternity, yet was going to get in any way he could. Thanks to his great time in a fraternity, his GPA was a phenomenal 3.1x. Then he wonders why getting into law school was somewhat of a "challenge."

Enduring hazing is paying the price to "belong."