Hazing in Fraternities: Toxic Masculinity in Brotherhoods

[Pyropyro]

There's a frat related killing again in our country.

A student from a top university was found dead since he didn't survive the hazing.

I really hate using hazing to prove one's (toxic) masculinity* and their loyalty to their new brotherhood. Aren't brothers ought to protect one another rather than harm each other?

Why can't they simply make him do beneficial things for his entry to the brotherhood like, I don't know, donate his blood or improve a community?

Any thoughts? Do these things happen in your countries as well?

*There's two means of proving one's (toxic) masculinity, to prove that they're not "pussies". One is getting laid and abusing women, the other is to be able to inflict and withstand violence.

 

[ummidk]

Never joined or attempted to join a frat but the hazing at my university's frats didn't involve violence from what I've heard. It seemed to be generally just them using the pledges for whatever silly shit they needed (I.E. cleaning the frat after a party, running errands) and drinking games/competitions.

I wouldn't be willing to subject myself to this join a silly frat, let alone one where violence is involved, but to each his own is how I see it. The pledge's death is certainly tragic and peer pressure can be a bitch, but at the end of the day I still have to put some fair proportion of the blame of the pledges themselves when these kind of things happen, seeing as they could A) never attempted to join the frat or B) left at any time (if they were physically forced to stay I would fully support criminal charges on these frat members).

 

[Pyropyro]

Never joined or attempted to join a frat but the hazing at my university's frats didn't involve violence from what I've heard. It seemed to be generally just them using the pledges for whatever silly shit they needed (I.E. cleaning the frat after a party, running errands) and drinking games/competitions.

I agree with those silly quests especially the last one

I wouldn't be willing to subject myself to this join a silly frat, let alone one where violence is involved, but to each his own is how I see it. The pledge's death is certainly tragic and peer pressure can be a bitch, but at the end of the day I still have to put some fair proportion of the blame of the pledges themselves when these kind of things happen, seeing as they could A) never attempted to join the frat or B) left at any time (if they were physically forced to stay I would fully support criminal charges on these frat members).

I agree. B does happen here. Physical attacks or threats can be used to enforce the frat's code of silence.

 

[ummidk]

I agree with those silly quests especially the last one

I'm down for those without the notion of acceptance into a fraternity, but my ego would probably get in the way of the silly errand running though

I agree. B does happen here. Physical attacks or threats can be used to enforce the frat's code of silence.

It's technically illegal for them to be violent? no?

 

[Pyropyro]

It's technically illegal for them to be violent? no?

True, but laws are merely "suggestions" for the spoiled brats of powerful people.

 

[walfin]

It is clearly murder or at least manslaughter/culpable homicide (or whatever your country calls it).

Perform any stupid ceremonies you want, but nobody's supposed to die.

 

[Pyropyro]

It is clearly murder or at least manslaughter/culpable homicide (or whatever your country calls it).

Yup. I hope the suspects get jailed.

Perform any stupid ceremonies you want, but nobody's supposed to die.

I agree. Anyways, are your country's frat this murderous as well or are they like ummidk's, just a bunch of kids with silly admission quests?

 

[Cognisant]

Compared to the number of shootings I'm amazed this even made the news.

 

[Pyropyro]

Compared to the number of shootings I'm amazed this even made the news.

Shootings are a common occurrence here but the suspects mostly target journalists rather than kids. Besides, bullied kids simply kill their tormentors with one punch :P

Spoiler

Just kidding, that bullying incident is just a one time news event

 

[ummidk]

True, but laws are merely "suggestions" for the spoiled brats of powerful people.

Laws are merely suggestions for all people, not having to face the consequences is more likely for the "spoiled brats of powerful people" though.

It is clearly murder or at least manslaughter/culpable homicide (or whatever your country calls it).

Perform any stupid ceremonies you want, but nobody's supposed to die.

They should face criminal charges, I agree. Shouldn't be murder as like you said, no one was supposed to die. These frat members were quite reckless, but I probably wouldn't consider them a large threat to society's other members.

I remember a case near me about a young college student pledging for a fraternity who died of alcohol poison as a result of the drinking "games". The parents wanted the more senior members of the frat to face criminal charges for his death. No one was supposed to die, and I'm sure this student got influenced by these other frat members into drinking more than he should, but some level of self-responsibility has to be expected in these types of situations. Reminds me of all the silly law suits people have because they were careless as fuck but had an opening to blame someone else.

Compared to the number of shootings I'm amazed this even made the news.

It makes the news over the shootings because of the amount of shootings.

 

[Pyropyro]

UPDATE:

It seems that the initiation involves 100 whacks until the neophyte falls down. Anyone that can still stand will get 6 more as a reward. I haven't experience paddling before but I was hit unintentionally by arnis sticks. Those things hurt so I can only imagine how those paddles hurt.

Oh yeah, to keep these guys up they stuff their mouths with chili and chocolates. They also make anyone who falls unconscious sniff ammonia to 'revive' them. I'm no medic but I think if your buddy passes out due to pain then you get him to the hospital ASAP.

 

[EditorOne]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/charges-im...ch-college-student-attorney/story?id=24448036

Another one, a couple of miles away from me.

I never wanted to belong to anything bad enough to put up with the indignity of hazing. When I was in college in the 1960s, it was not unlike Omega Theta Pi from "Animal House", where you can see the paddling described in the OP's links. That was probably the easy part; according to classmates who DID very badly want to get into a fraternity, one of their hazings included carrying an olive around in their buttcheeks all day and then eating it in front of the assembled fraternity. I mean, really??
The non-fraternity fraternity on my campus was Sigma Nu, which was run about as loosely as the Animal House. It lost it's charter.

 

[Pyropyro]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/charges-im...ch-college-student-attorney/story?id=24448036

Another one, a couple of miles away from me.

That was stupid of them not to rush the victim to the hospital. I'm glad they banned the frat.

 

[paradoxparadigm7]

I don't think I want to read about it. I know it exists but it's too close to torture and that always makes me nauseous. The intensional infliction of pain, abuse and humiliation I can't handle.