I was looking for some information for someone and I forgot that this site existed. I'm going to post part pf it and tell me wht you think. This was an huge discussion on collegeclub and the results of what people said were very disappointing.
I know it's long sorry....
This came from:
http://www.3n1promo.com/temple/pvh.html
Pledging was designed to bring out the best in the pledge or aspirant. It was created to be a time of bonding, a time of struggle, a time of growth, but most of all a time of joy. For those who pledged they walked in "DARKNESS" in search of the "LIGHT" that the organization had to offer. For those who did the pledging; it was meant to be their transition from recipients of "LIGHT" to dispensers of "LIGHT".
Unfortunately, the process of pledging at some point for many became a process of hazing. The trials for the purpose of bonding became trials of who could make a person laugh at the torment of others. The trials by which knowledge was taught and learned became trials of a person’s pain threshold. The day that pledging became hazing, many members of Black Greek Lettered Organizations lost the knowledge of who we are and why we exist. If you were to ask a person who "CLAIMS" they pledged why the wood is used; there are many who would shrug their shoulders and say they didn’t know. If you asked them why they are called a line; they would look at you with a puzzled frown on their face. If you asked them why their line is named like a navel vessel; they would just ignore you. If you asked them what they are doing not just for their organization, but for the empowerment of the Black Community; they would have to sit and wonder. If you ask them how they claim to be unified, but at the drop of dime they disrespect other Greek Lettered Organizations; they would not know what to tell you.
To be honest there are many who fall prey to at least one of these situations. There is no easy way to say this, but there is one thing that must be considered. If you fall victim to the previously stated situations then it is possible that you were hazed and not pledged. If you don't know why wood was used, yet you are someone who thinks WOOD = PLEDGING; then I am sorry to say that you have a lot to learn about pledging. If you think that being forced to stay up all night for someone else’s amusement is pledging; then you have got a lot to learn about pledging. If you disrepect or look down on other organizations; I am sorry to say you were not pledged. If you think that because you didn't take wood that you didn't pledge; you might be surprised to find out it is possible that you did pledge.
Pledging is supposed to teach three things. Loyalty to the principles of the organization, loyalty to brotherhood/sisterhood amongst "ALL" men/women, and loyalty to the community from which you came. If you learned all of these things, no matter what your process was like, my brother...my sister you were pledged. If you did not...I am sorry to say you were hazed. To all my Greek, Non-Greek, etc. brothers & sisters, I charge you with two questions only you can answer. Were you pledged or were you hazed? Do you pledge or do you haze?
If fraternities and sororities are a "means of transportation" then we must treat them with care so that we don't wreak them. For a man or woman that purchases a vehicle and wrecks it out of "IGNORANCE" is a fool. He/She not only hurts themselves, but they hurt others in the process. The same way a person performs maintenance on a vehicle to keep it running and looking its best is the same way we must maintain our fellow members & fellow organizations. We must treat our organizations, our brothers, and our sisters with respect, for if we don't then who will?
Pledging vs. Hazing
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