Hazing: Hard Work Builds Character
13 years ago

In the Greek community, there is no other subject which receives a negative stigma quite like hazing. At many universities, it is one of the largest offenses a chapter can commit. Even though many people find it hilarious, to most administrations hazing is no laughing matter, and being caught can bring a death penalty to a chapter faster than a Miami football player can chug Dom Pérignon on a private yacht. However, there is an underlying purpose to hazing which those outside of the Greek culture can never learn from the hyper-liberal media. Many factors are at play in hazing “scandals,” and these are often overlooked when the world has a scapegoat to put against the wall because one thing went wrong at BFE State. However, any activity that can cause serious harm, such as forcing pledges to consume large quantities of alcohol should be prohibited.

Because the majority of society will never truly know the hard-earned joy of being initiated into a brotherhood, I believe it is time for people to stop looking down on Greeks and start looking in the mirror at some of the larger flaws in society itself. For those who believe hazing serves no purpose other than to please a group of sadistic tormenters, I assure you, you are terribly misinformed. Fraternities at their very cores are an exclusive group of men who share a bond that is tight enough to be considered family, that’s why we call ourselves brothers. Families grow together through good times and bad, and there is no greater bonding experience than facing adversity. Hazing is just one element to a pledge program that serves the purpose of creating these ties which we work so hard for. And just for the record, hazing is an umbrella term that covers most anything these days (making a kid dress nice to class could be considered hazing at some schools). It teaches young men the importance of seeing things to the end and the value of hard work, things that are practically history in the handout society we live in.

Another thing that really points out some pitfalls in our society is the lack of personal accountability expected from these so called “victims” of hazing. Now, I’m well aware there are cases when things get taken too far, and that is a shame. But when it really comes down to it, what kind of person doesn’t know how to walk out of a situation they don’t want to be in? Are we really raising a generation of young adults who can’t hold themselves accountable enough to make their own decisions without the aid of some helicopter parent? I’m sorry, but if you don’t want to put in the work that every person before you put in, then the fraternity you pledged isn’t for you. Drop and rush somewhere else. This everyone-gets-a-trophy bubble we’re raising our youth in today is crippling our country, and it can be seen by the people who use our welfare system but still manage to have flatscreen televisions. If you can’t put in the work to get something, you don’t deserve it.

One last thing I want to mention is rats. Although I will question your testicular fortitude, deciding to drop a fraternity because you don’t like what is expected of you is understandable as long as you don’t run your mouth. The second you decide to ruin the whole process for everyone else, you may as well be living, breathing excrement. The world is full of people who are selfish enough to believe that if they can’t have something no one else should either, they are called liberals. Be a man and lie in the bed you made alone. You made your decision, now make peace with it and move on.

Next time you see a horrific headline with hazing in it, know that someone fucked up. The process is supposed to be a learning experience that teaches young men how to deal with adversity, and learning how to face challenges and work with a group of people through them is easily one of the most important ladder rungs to success. To think that the media looks down upon our institutions for trying to instill values that most of society has forgotten speaks volumes about what is wrong with this country. Hard work builds character. Remember that…and to cup your balls and clench.

  2. Fraternity Man

    This was probably said above, but here’s my take: I think the majority of young men going through rush WANT to go through a hazing process of some form. Simply “joining” a fraternity isn’t fun, you have to earn your way in. I’m in a house which prides itself nationally as being a “non-hazing” fraternity. That wasn’t the reason I joined; I joined because I fit in there the best and they threw (and still throw) the best parties. Even as a “non-hazing” house, we still technically break half the rules of IFC’s definition of hazing (line-ups, scavenger hunts, yelling at pledges, etc.) Some of those rules are good, like those said in the article. Others, however, like “forcing new members to run errands (personal servitude)”? Give me a fucking break.

    13 years ago at 3:04 pm
    3. fratyliteonthefratio

      DU isn’t the only one like that either. Look at SNU and Kappa sig. Nationals are hardasses in both cases from what i know from the word on the street and personal experience. Yet in both cases, especially in the South, they haze balls, because that’s what it takes to be top tier in quite a few schools, mid tier in most of the rest, and bottom tier in very few.

      13 years ago at 11:01 am
  3. HarryWinstonPlease

    Coming from a lady, a man isnt a man until he has done pushups in someones basement, been paddled, done bows and toes and huddled with his pledge brothers in a freezing tool shed for 12 hours on a cold winter night. Unless my future son is being forced to do the elephant walk or drink inappropriate amounts of alcohol, I dont want to hear a word of complaint, pledgeship and the hazing that comes with it is what makes a man a man, if you cant take it, pledge a sorority.

    13 years ago at 2:54 pm