Just to throw it out there for discussion — I never pledged a fraternity in college, because cost/benefit-wise, I could not justify undergoing hazing.
It’s a good guess that half of the people reading this joined fraternities/sororities (got any pictures of pillow fights in the latter?), and half didn’t. So there’s no point in advocating for either — I just thought I’d throw the subject out there to see if anyone had any thoughts on hazing. (Not on frats in general.)
This all came from a comment to a news story:
“The black fraternities at UF in the 70s were far worse than anything we did. Omega Phi Psi, a black fraternity, actually branded their pledges, an Omega symbol was branded onto their arms.
One of the things I did when I was a pledge was to get naked while the brothers dumped trash on top of us from the 2nd floor.”
I think hazing is similar to pranks people pull on their friends. There are lines you don’t cross for either. Pranks are designed to embarrass, frighten, humiliate, or disgust people. I’m not fond of them. Hazing is sort of like pre-approved pranks, so, like combat sports, both parties go into it, knowing that things are likely to occur that wouldn’t in another setting.
A reasonable assessment.
I recieved my GED and first and second year CLEP in Basic in 1968. We didnt have a fraternity at my tests, just a lot of hazing.
IS THAT A PLEDGE PIN ON YOUR UNIFORM!?!?!
Never got to the “hazing” stage, but really enjoyed “Rush Week”:
1) Go to all their house mixers.
2) Consume all their free booze & eats.
3) Wait for them to ask, “so, ya think it’s
time to maybe consider pledging to our
fine organization?”
4) Politely decline … “No shanks” (hic)
5) Move on to the next house for another
free round of booze & eats.
Only haze was a weird haze forming on the windshield when you were operating at the very bottom of the mine…
If Niedermayer read this he would be getting all excited.
Commuter college meant no time for such whacky nonsense…