Quote:
Originally Posted by 33girl
Yep. It angers me when people think "pledging" and "hazing" are synonymous.
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I agree completely. But it did seem to me that the OP really is talking about hazing, not just pledging:
Quote:
Originally Posted by socalmarci
I would like to have a set of fairly hardcore rituals and exercises specifically geared toward preparing initiates for tough conditions that may arise during their college tenure and early stages of their professional careers, even their personal lives and relationships; all that are fun, stressful, painful, tiring, emotional, embarrassing, motivating, and inspiring. Maybe some people will get hurt, maybe some people will want to drop-out, maybe some people will have emotional breakdowns . . . .
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This all sounds to me like a very romanticized and unrealistic view of hazing that focuses on perceived benefits (and proving manhood) and dismisses risks, not to mention legality.
socalmarci, I am old enough to have pledged when concern about hazing was just really starting to be an issue. I was hazed. It was relatively mild as hazing goes -- nothing life threatening or really dangerous (though as others have said, with 18-22 year old guys, it's not too hard for things to get out of hand), and nothing that "scarred" me in any way. But it was definately hazing -- stressful, tiring, emotional . . . .
What did it teach me? Nothing. What did it prepare me for? Nothing. Which may be why, after my pledge class, we just let those hazing traditions fade away, without any intense discussion and without any pressure from our national office. Few brothers saw any point or value in it. As I said above, there are other, more effective ways to accomplish goals of bonding and loyalty.
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