Hazing. Is it necessary?

[Senusret I]

I went to stophazing.org and found a list of activities that are considered hazing. It goes without saying that I don't agree with violence, harrassment, or humiliation, and for the purposes of this discussion, I will assume that no one on GC agrees with those things, either. So I want to focus on "Subtle Hazing" define below:



A. SUBTLE HAZING:
Behaviors that emphasize a power imbalance between new members/rookies and other members of the group or team. Termed “subtle hazing” because these types of hazing are often taken-for-granted or accepted as “harmless” or meaningless. Subtle hazing typically involves activities or attitudes that breach reasonable standards of mutual respect and place new members/rookies on the receiving end of ridicule, embarrassment, and/or humiliation tactics. New members/rookies often feel the need to endure subtle hazing to feel like part of the group or team. (Some types of subtle hazing may also be considered harassment hazing).

Some Examples:

* Deception
* Assigning demerits
* Silence periods with implied threats for violation
* Deprivation of privileges granted to other members
* Requiring new members/rookies to perform duties not assigned to other members
* Socially isolating new members/rookies
* Line-ups and Drills/Tests on meaningless information
* Name calling
* Requiring new members/rookies to refer to other members with titles (e.g. “Mr.,” “Miss”) while they are identified with demeaning terms
* Expecting certain items to always be in one's possession



I'll be honest....I've experienced all of those things to some degree in every fraternal process I've been through, with the exception of "name calling" and being called anything demeaning.

I have not decided if experiencing these things made me a better member of my fraternities.....nor do I know if I am worse off. I do believe that anyone can do these things if they want to be a member badly enough. On one line, one girl was never really seen again after she crossed. (As was the case on my mom's DST line) And I'm not especially close to my Alpha LBs. Hey, it is what it is.

I do think that aspirants of any organizations should receive some sort of rite of passage, if for no other reason than to receive ritualistic and philosophical lessons outside of the ritual, which I received in each process I was in.

Much of what I did do had meaning...metaphorical, allegorical, etc. Some of it was just for fun.

Was I hazed? By the definition of subtle hazing, yes, I was.