Somebody please explain to me why someone would put with the physical abuse, emotional distress and public embarrassment known as hazing? What sounds right about voluntarily condoning someone to harm you physically or mentally? I consider this an abusive relationship. Those who haze and the people being hazed are in a vicious cycle that needs to stop. There are other ways to haze or initiate like using trivia, someone without torturing them and possibly leaving them traumatized for the rest of their life.
We informed you last week about the two young men involved in the Virgina State University hazing fiasco. One drowned while trying to cross a river as part of the initiation and the other has yet to be found. Now Georgia has it’s hand in it too. Young Harris College has a lawsuit against it “accusing it of “reckless indifference, to a widespread and well-known culture of abusive and sexually charged hazing”. According to 11 Alive, a freshman spoke out about the hazing rituals at the school after going through the process for four days. Now, I know that many of my readers have probably been to college, so you and I both know what goes on on a college campus.
We’ve all seen those sorority and fraternity hopefuls acting funny, wearing odd things, creeping around at night, hearing about a secret meeting or possibly appear with mysterious bruises that they didn’t have the night before. But it’s all hush, hush so people just go about their day. Well after four days of haze, Jo Hannah Burch, came forward with what was happening behind the scenes on campus. However, the school is denying it, even after the president of the school, Cathy Cox, supposedly admitted her knowledge of the situation. I’m siding with Jo Hannah on this. I absolutely believe this was happening at her school just like it’s happening on other campuses across the country.
According to 11 Alive, the school has a no hazing policy but the president allegedly told Burch’s dad that “these things happen. It’s been going on on our campus.'”In the video, sexual hazing such as imitating intercourse and being judged in your birthday by males fraternity brothers, were also a part of the things “going on” at the campus. So the president knew about it and ignored it? Would it have taken someone to die or raped for her to have taken action upon finding out the first time? The sorority involved was suspended as a whole, but the individuals responsible were left unscathed. So really all that did was pause the hazing process or if you think about it this way, give them more time to come with ideas for the next initiation.
I don’t know about you, but I would consider hazing as domestic (I use domestic since this happens at colleges and universities where kids live and are often hazed together to supposedly form bonds) abuse and I think you should second my notion. Again, look at the similarities between the signs of hazing and abuse. When people are being abused at home, many keep quiet and try to hide the evidence. They don’t follow the advice of TELLING SOMEONE. Why? Because they think he’ll stop, or he’ll change or he loves me. They still love the person and want it to work out so they stay. Same thing with these sororities and fraternities. The people that want to join them put up with hazing because they think it’s what has to happen in order for them to be apart of the group. They think, “oh, they chose me to be in this organization, so now I have to put up with whatever they dish out if I want them to accept me”, WRONG.
People don’t have to put up with hazing just like people don’t have to endure an abusive relationship. You can choose whether or not to stay with your abuser just like you can chose to be in an organization once you find out the requirements for joining. I’m sure that 19 year old, Marvell Edmonson wasn’t willing or expecting to die in order to be a part of “Men of Honor” just like I’m sure most people in abusive relationships are not suspecting that their mate would kill them after an argument over who they were talking to on the phone.
I applaud the Young Harris student for speaking up about her school’s underground issue. Someone could have easily died in this hazing incident just like they did in others.
Who wants to shed some light one this? Any sorority/fraternity members reading? Hazing deaths seem to be getting more common nowadays. Has the process of hazing gotten worse in the last 10-20 years? Or were people dying for membership back then too?
Tell me your thoughts about these hazed and confused individuals. Send me your comments below.
After you comment, click here to purchase my book, “Am I in a Bad Relationship?” to learn how to deal, adjust and get out of unhealthy relationships.
Dr.O
Picture source: http://www.theamericanresident.com/2011/06/do-you-really-want-a-kidnap-party/
