In October 2017, members of the Phi Delta Theta forced 18-year-old LSU student Maxwell Gruver into drinking an excessive amount of alcohol at a pledge initiation night. He died after inhaling his own vomit and other fluids into his lungs, preventing his breathing. In August of 2022, a Central Pennsylvania high school football team had their season canceled before they even played a game, after a graphic video of locker room sexual abuse was leaked. A year later, Northwestern University fired their head football coach as the program was entrenched in the midst of a widespread hazing scandal. Does anyone else feel like you're watching Groundhog Day? Well, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Since 2000, more than 100 hazing related deaths have occurred on college campuses. Every year, it seems like multiple new reports out about a hazing incident involving a Greek life house or a sports team. Each instance is followed by the same damaging consequences- criminal charges, arrests, shutdowns, firings, serious injuries, and sometimes the tragic loss of a life. So why doesn't anything change?
According to the eBook Making the Team, the first documented case of hazing in an American educational institute the U.S. occurred in 1657 at Harvard University, long before the formation of the country. Throughout the next three centuries as more colleges and fraternities were founded, it spread across the country, becoming a relatively common practice. Slavery, child labor, women's rights violations, and Jim Crow laws were also forms of abuse once common in our nation, but they went away (until Trump takes office again) as our civilization modernized and adopted better ethical standards. However, despite the increased stigma around it, hazing has not gone anywhere and continues to haunt our academic institutions. Even after a history of incidents and repercussions along with laws and condemnation against it, hazing still persists in our modern society because of tradition, peer pressure, and power dynamics.
Many fraternities, teams, and even military groups have longstanding traditions that originated years before the current members were even there. The authority members are simply initiating pledges with practices that they also had to deal with when they were in the same position. Continuity is a key factor for the members of a group, and the "my turn" attitude reassures senior members that their actions are justified because they went through the same thing. They see hazing traditions as an historical legacy of the group that must continue because it honors past members and forms part of the identity. Putting everyone through the same challenges and embarrassments creates a shared experience of bonding that brings them closer together and builds camaraderie among the group. Though these rituals are condemned or prohibited, they are stuck in the ways of their traditions. This shows the dangerous right-wing values of traditionalism and anti-change that are entrenched within the act of hazing. With a president that is so divisive and against change and diversity, he promotes one of the key foundations that has allowed the barbaric culture of hazing to carry on.
In some cases, the hazing that the victims participate in is actually consensual, and they could choose to walk away. Young teenagers that rush that want to join Greek life know about hazing and pledging, but they still do it anyway. People find it shocking that someone would put themselves in situations where they are subject to emotional, physical, mental, and sexual abuse. If a friend told you to drink alcohol until you threw up or to let them to touch you in an inappropriate manner, you would hopefully say no. But in this situation, there is only one person commanding you and you already know them. Hazing most commonly happens to college freshmen who are joining a team or frat, and it is done by people they have just met. These young first-years are desperate to fit in and make friends. This is where peer pressure comes into play. When many people at once pressure them to do something, it makes them feel like they're being forced into it. It leaves them with a decision to make. They can refuse to participate in the hazing, which risks the sacrifice of their new relationships, or they can go through with it, earning the respect and trust of the group. In a frat or sorority, not participating means that the person can no longer be a member, and they miss out on all of the parties and allure of Greek life. On a sports team, they won't be kicked off, but instead stigmatized and looked down upon by other members of their team. Sociology shows that people will conform to the norms of a group in order to be accepted, even if they disagree with them. Newcomers are willing to put themselves through pain and humiliation in order to gain a sense of belonging.
The power dynamics of a group have a huge impact on why hazing takes place. This structured hierarchy is integrated into nearly every high school and college in the country. The term "freshmen" has a negative connotation that implies inexperience and vulnerability. Even teachers and coaches often criticize freshmen for their immaturity and mistakes. The term "senior" conveys leadership and gives an individual more respect. Adults often encourage freshmen to look up and listen to their seniors and captains. Edler members get special privileges and develop the power to influence younger members. Seniors hold power over newcomers, and hazing is a way for them to exercise control and authority. It allows them to display their dominance and make sure that the newcomers understand lower status within the group. As mentioned earlier, the two groups are new to each other, so it is viewed as necessary to establish power dynamics right away by putting inferior members "in their place". Each generation must submit to authority first before they are able to rise through the ranks of the hierarchy. As Karl Marx said, power creates conflict. If our society was truly based on equality and wasn't based off of obedience to authority, hazing would be more uncommon.
While most agree that hazing is morally unacceptable, a few claim that it promotes group bonding and brings people closer together. Some defendants say that it gives everyone in the group something in common and creates unity that is difficult to replicate without it. But after many studies, there is no proof that hazing produces relationships that are better than normal. Another common misconception is that hazing in a sports team gives them more chemistry and makes them play better. Instead of hazing traditions that cause harm, humiliation, and trauma, groups could make their initiations more constructive. They could get to know each other better playing games and sports, team building activities, eating together, or adventure-based outings. All of these form bonds on the basis of trust and shared experiences and can bring people closer together without abusive methods.
With the moral principles our society has evolved to, one would think that such a cruel practice like hazing would have faded away. Unfortunately, it is still in our educational communities as numerous incidents are publicized every year and many more stories go untold. Many struggle to understand why victims agree to participate and how the perpetrators are so comfortable with abusing others. But that's just how hazing is seen on the surface. Explanations can be found in the psychology of the groups and the structure they are based upon. Hazing is still prevalent because of tradition, peer pressure, and power dynamics. If we want to eliminate hazing, we must promote change, tradition alternatives, and equality within our society.
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