Topic:
Hazing
Thesis
Statement: Hazing, even if it is considered tradition, should be stopped
because it causes negative psychological, emotional and physical effects.
I.
Introduction
A. Fact
B. Thesis
Statement
II.
Body
A. Definition
of Hazing
B. Types
of Hazing
C. Arguments
followed by counter-arguments
1. Hazing
is traditional since the members who received it feel that it is their
privilege to deal it to the new recruits, and so on.
2. Hazing
can be reasonable, however in certain cases, may cause death.
3. Hazing
makes the members worthy, but they never truly recover from the trauma they
received.
III.
Conclusion
A. Summary
According
to a study conducted by Elizabeth J. Allen, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Mary
Madden, Ph.D., Associate Professor from the University of Maine, 55% of college
students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing. To say
then that these clubs, teams and organizations require hazing as a sort of rite
of passage or test to prove one’s worth to gain the acceptance of the current
members is not a far-fetched idea. However, hazing, even if it is considered
tradition, should be stopped because it causes negative psychological,
emotional and physical effects.
Hazing
is a required act of a certain degree of ridicule to gain membership of a group
or organization, notwithstanding the willingness of the person to participate.
It is classified into three groups by the gravity of the required act: Subtle
hazing, harassment hazing and violent hazing.
Subtle
hazing is, as its name implies, the least taxing of the three kinds. The hazing
involved can be considered as innocuous or even pointless since whatever they
must do is not as unreasonable as the members expect, like having to do things
that other members are not expected to do, name-calling or simple drills. Usually, new recruits feel that they have to
endure subtle hazing to be accepted into the fold.
The
next kind, harassment hazing, causes a relative degree of discomfort,
physically or emotionally, to the rookies involved. In addition to that, they also
cause frustration or stress just to make them feel as though they belong to the
rest of the herd. These acts can be obeying a certain upper member for a
certain period of time, wearing something humiliating for a certain period of
time, receiving verbal abuse or even harassing others.
Some
of these acts of hazing may progress into the third kind which is violent
hazing. The acts involved in violent hazing can cause actual physical,
emotional or psychological harm to the novices. New members may be expected to
perform a specific crime, to receive a beating or to take drugs and other
illegal substances. In the 2008 study conducted by Elizabeth J. Allen, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor and Mary Madden, participation in a drinking game is the
most popular form of hazing for both genders. It goes for 31% of males and 23%
of females in the college level. Other acts with significantly high percentages
for both sexes are singing or chanting by self or with select others of groups
in public in a situation that is not a related event, game, or practice,
drinking large amounts of alcohol to the point of getting sick or passing out
and depriving oneself of sleep, among others.
Most
teams and organizations view hazing as a tradition; it is a rite of passage
that every new member must go through to gain the respect of the other members.
However, respect is not gained; it is earned. So hazing each batch of new
recruits is not simply acceptance with a certain amount of respect, it is also
a way for the older members to reciprocate what they went through when they
were in the same situation. There may also be instances wherein older members
are also required to undergo hazing to still be accepted as members, so the
process repeats again and again, creating the illusion of ‘tradition’, when in
reality, it’s just a way of getting back at each other.
Some
groups may argue that the hazing that new members go through is reasonable, not
traumatic in any way. Nevertheless, it is apparent that there are cases where
even the simplest kind of hazing cause trauma of a certain intensity for the
participant. In worst-case scenarios, the participant may die, as several
stories have proved in the past. It is no laughing matter; hazing is a
dangerous way to welcome new members of a group, team or organization since it
makes the new members feel as though they have to be as ruthless or tough to be
accepted as one of the group. However, there are consequences to creating an
environment wherein there is an apparent imbalance of power such as unnecessary
subservience and a feeling of obligatory obedience.
Various
organizations insist that hazing is done to make their members stronger or
worthier- to increase the prestige of the overall organization. That may be
true, on the outside. People who undergo hazing usually become tougher on the
exterior; they are able to take pain or embarrassment lightly, likely because
they are around people who have gone through the same thing. The reason for
this toughness would also be credited to the organization’s methods. But
inside, the trauma is still there. It makes the person more vulnerable
psychologically and emotionally. Over time, when the people around the hazed
individual are gone, the outside toughness wears away and the stress and
challenges of real life prove to be too much to handle for their damaged state.
They may break down and succumb to vices like smoking or drinking in order to
cope with their lives.
Recently,
there was news in the Philippines of a death of a victim of hazing named Marc Andre Marcos, who was a San Beda law
student. The perpetrators have yet to be captured by the authorities and the
relatives and friends of the deceased continue to cry for justice. This
incident shows that hazing is indeed a serious issue, particularly in the schools
and colleges, and will have serious repercussions. Even survivors of hazing are
not safe from it; the scars, psychological or physical, will not fade
completely. They will be haunted by their past and it will affect their
futures, so imagine, 55% of the youth today are subjected to hazing. These teenagers may become successful but the
trauma from hazing may influence them into doing things that may harm or even
destroy their futures, and, in effect, endanger the future of the country.
References:
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