Hazing

Hazing

Hazing, a dangerous underground ritual, has been banned in over forty states but has not come close to ending, in fact it is becoming more dangerous. (Anti-Hazing 1) Hazing is an extreme form of bullying. Upon my research I have come across many cases of people who have died from hazing, and I don't take death lightly. "'Hazing' refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate." (Hazing Defined 1). Most of the time the hazers do not intend for someone to be killed but things may get out hand. Usually the intention of the hazers is to see if the incoming members have what it takes to be a part of the group. They also hope it will make the team members closer, unfortunately this isn't what really happens. These acts usually cross many lines but they want to be a part of the group so badly that keep their mouths shut and don't mention a thing. The need for teenagers to outdo each other has made hazing become more and more dangerous every year. Once they are a part of the group they want to do something more exciting and dangerous to the members coming in the next year. These acts are more than just dangerous they are a violation of our rights as human beings. Educating teenagers in high school about hazing could help raise awareness of the dangers of this act and might help prevent it in college where it becomes a far more dangerous problem.

Although bullying and high school hazing may seem harmless, it can spiral into illegal activities that result in severe injuries or death. Most of the time, in hazing situations, the victims do what they're told because they wish to join the group at any cost. Take for instance, Isaac William Rand. He wanted to join a fraternity in college. "At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1912 Isaac William Rand fell from a barrel on which he was standing. He landed on a broken bottle that pierced his jugular vein, and Rand bled to death. The four students associated with the hazing incident were expelled from the university. One was acquitted and the other three were found guilty of manslaughter." (Top 10 Worst...1) I'm sure no one expected him to die from this but he did, and many lives were ruined because of it. In my research I have come across many cruel and terrible cases of hazing, even in law schools. For instance:

Jacqueline Farnsworth Farwell, a first year student at Southwestern, pledged with IRL. As part of the rush activities, the pledges were required to spend a night outside in a pre-select location. Farnwell's location was the Oak Knoll Cemetery. The purpose of this activity, as explained by Thomas Patton Dobbs, President of RIL, in his trial testimony, was to provide the new pledges with an extended opportunity to reflect upon their commitment to the law and the fraternity. Each pledge was permitted to wear a parka and given a wool blanket and candle. According to the testimony of Rufus Johnson, the RIL pledge master, Farwell was left at the cemetery at approximately 12:30 am on Saturday morning. The pledge teams returned to the cemetery at approximately 7:15 am and were not able to locate Farwell at the spot where she was left. However, after a brief search, the men found Farwell's frozen body sitting against a gravestone some fifty yards away. She was wrapped in her parka and blanket. Her candle had burned down to the stub in her hand. The coroner's report stated that Farwell had frozen to death, causing her heart to stop. (T.P. Dobbs 1)

Stories like Jacqueline's make me sick, that poor girl wanted to fit in so badly that she literally died trying. Hazing is awful no matter what, but as you can tell from the two stories I just shared, it is much worse in college. College clubs, mainly the ones based off the Greek system, are notorious for their horrible, cruel, and dangerous hazing practices. Physical abuse and hazing actually originated from the initiation rituals of the military.

Alcohol is a large part of hazing. "While hazing does not necessarily involve alcohol use by either current or new members, often alcohol consumption is either a central or contributing element." (Alcohol 1) While under the influence of alcohol, judgment is impaired and it becomes difficult to know when enough is enough. Most of the time the alcohol drinking happens as an effort to impress their peers. "Some fatal cases of hazing have been labeled as episodes of ‘binge drinking,' a term that suggests that the students who died of alcohol poisoning just used poor judgment and did not know when to stop drinking. It is more accurate to refer to such episodes as ‘ritualized