Sheesh...long thread...
Okay, I'm new to the forum, but not to Greek Life. I know this has been said before, but I'm gonna rehash and try to organize here.
Mindless, senseless hazing is wrong. Beating pledges, making them run naked through zero degree weather, making them pound shot after shot just for an active's amusement, whatever - that's wrong. There's no point to that.
The message I learned from my fraternity's pledge semester was that my GLO is one unit...and all of the activities we did had a point...they taught us to work together to get something accomplished; they taught us that there's a certain amount of work that NEEDS to be done, and if I don't do it, then my brother will end up sacking up and doing it.
Don't get me wrong...I'm not some tool who pledged an easy house just to claim a greek name - My house has one of the toughest pledge semesters on campus. But we also have a point to our pledge activities. There are no mindless "hey bros, tonight we're just gonna give the pledges four handles of vodka and make them drink it"...that, to me, has no point.
I'm actually very glad I went through my pledge semester. I never imagined what I could do if I were pushed to my breaking point - physically and mentally - and then pushed a little bit further. I wouldn't have been able to handle any of the challenges I've faced since I've pledged, because I would have turned around and given up. Thanks to pledging, I've seen my limits - what I think I can do and what I physically can do - and I'm not afraid to push myself to those limits.
I wouldn't have discovered those limits had I not been pushed to my breaking points...and I wouldn't have been pushed had I not been "hazed."
To reiterate, hazing with a purpose, with some final goal in mind, is great. It teaches a person a lot about themselves and shows them how to overcome the "I can't do it" mentality.
Hazing just to haze...that's bad.
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