Hazing

Cassidy Clarke

Professor Perry

ENG 11203-08

26 March 2012

The Brutal Side of Hazing

An activity that has been going on for many years, physical hazing has become so extreme that several deaths have occurred throughout the years. College hazing has been in fraternities for so long that it is more a ritual. It is used to form a bond with all of the members involved. As a freshman in college, one can pledge an organization to bond with its members. As Charles Blow states in his article “The Brutal Side of Hazing”, written after the death of Robert Champion at Florida A&M University, “physical hazing, a behavior that’s proving remarkably resistant to being scrubbed from our culture” shows how the physical abuse that one receives is being overlooked (A25).

Blow tells how he had been hazed physically by the fraternity that he had joined while he himself was in college. “We would experience nearly two months of bleeding and bruises, harassment and terror, dehydration and nausea.” The stress that is put on one’s body is so extreme that at times death occurs, even under the eyes of the officials that are supposed to be keeping the students safe while they attend college. The dangers of hazing are seen throughout our country today as it was in the past. There seems to be no end to the ridiculous actions that are considered to be legend in our society.

The main problem that keeps hazing alive today, even after the death of pledges, is the silence of the pledges themselves. Blow states that in “2008 a study by researchers at the University of Maine found that most college students involved in clubs, teams and organizations experienced hazing, but 95% did not report it.” The silence of the hazed, shows the group that are strong, but it also lets the hazer’s know that it is ok to continue to do the things to people that they do. This lack of action accelerates the levels of punishment, in any form, put on those who are involved. The end results can turn...