The Evils of Hazing

1088 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A short introduction about hazing

The Evils of Hazing

You have just moved to a new school, and it is the first day. You thought it was a dream to be on the wrestling team, but in reality it was a nightmare. After practice, you are hog-tied and beaten by your fellow teammates in a ritual known as hazing.

For many years, hazing has existed in high schools throughout America without many people knowing; more recently, however, laws are being passed against this potentially deadly ritual as people are becoming educated on the topic. This paper will address what hazing is, how it can be stopped, and my opinion on why it should be stopped.

According to the dictionary, hazing is to harass by exacting unnecessary or disagreeable work; to harass by banter, ridicule, or criticism; or to haze by way of initiation. There are three different types of hazing: mental, terror, and physical hazing. Mental hazing is "messing with the mind." It is used to make the victim look and feel ridiculous. It can include dressing embarrassingly in public, treating another member as your master, or begging strangers for unusual items (Schleifer 17). Terror hazing is used to terrorize the person. It can include laying in a ditch that you are led to believe is a grave, or drinking from poison bottles, that unknown to you, contain only a soft drink (19). The last type is physical hazing, which may include the person having to binge, starve, or stay awake for an unreasonable amount of time. It also includes just plainly beating a person (20). As stated in Everything You Need to Know About the Dangers of Hazing by Jay Schleifer, "No matter how the hazing is carried out, it always sends the same message: we have power over you - y...

... middle of paper ...

...are in high school." Nikki Consentino, a victim of hazing once stated, "I have met a lot of parents because their children are not alive to tell about it." Obviously, if laws are not passed against this ritual, more children may die just for trying out for a school team.

So do the math yourself. If at least one person has died from a reported hazing every year since 1970, over 30 lives have been taken from what some think of as only a harmless prank, and those are only the reported cases. Through this paper I hope you can see the importance of putting an end to hazing and one day it can and will be done.

Sources Cited:

http://www.stophazing.org

Olson, Tod. "Hazing Horror." Teen People September 2000: 134-141.

Schleifer, Jay. Everything You Need to Know About the Dangers of Hazing. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 1996.

Show More
Related

  • Bystander Effect: A Study on Group Apathy

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    One example of the bystander effect on sorority hazing was the horrendous near death experience of Ravital Segal. On the night of her hazing her and two other pledges were blindfolded and were pressured to drink a concoction of alcohol out of sizeable water bottles they were driven to an unknown location and promptly thrusted from the vehicle. She blacked out immediately and woke up in the hospital with cuts, bruises, and even two broken teeth. She was admitted with nearly a .4 blood alcohol level. At a .4 alcohol level coma and or death will follow. When there was a hearing weeks later she completely denied hazing of any sorts. Raviatl later(post graduation) writes that on that night she was hazed, but feared the backlash she would faced had she spoken

    Read More

  • The Rape Culture of College Fraternities

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    When you are a senior is high school your main focuses are finishing your college applications and if your a girl of course prom, you don't realize you are a year away from entering college and the world of "rape culture". It is said that rape culture exists because we don't believe it does. Rape culture is defined as "an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture." We already have an idea that in colleges where sports is glorified that some professors will allow athletes to get away with numerous things from cheating to missing numerous classes but fraternity events can be high risk for rape. First I will summarize "Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture: Why Are Some Fraternities More Dangerous Places for Women?" written by A. Ayres Boswell and Joan Z. Space. Then I will use information from my criminology class to better define violent crime . Lastly, I will explain rape on campuses is not a cultural component. Colleges should hold clubs such as fraternities and sports to the same level than others and be harshly punished for crimes they commit so they don't feel more superior and think they can get away with rape.

    Read More

  • Not Another Pledge Death

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    Skorton, David. "A Pledge to End Fraternity Hazing." The New York Times. 23 Aug. 2011. Web.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Hazing in the Military

    1817 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hazing is an issue that has attracted much attention over the last few decades. College fraternities, high school programs, professional sports, and the military have all had their fair share of attention. The military is frequently held to a higher standard than these other organizations and has developed a bit of a black eye since the 1991 “Tailhook” scandal. Motion picture portrayals like that in the 1992 film “A Few Good Men” showed the public, not inaccurately, the dark side of command sponsored hazing. Hazing is not in keeping with the high standards of conduct that the U.S. Military aims to uphold and the ethical implications of these behaviors are diverse.

    Read More

  • Strengths And Weaknesses

    1451 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author of this paper has a pretty good understanding of her strengths and weaknesses, and genuinely believes in people. She believes that positivity and encouragement work far better than incivility and punishment. With her career goal of returning to trauma services and becoming a trauma coordinator, the author hopes she can include healthy workplace education in her future trauma prevention program. She would like to use her position as a Trauma Coordinator to reach out to employees and the community to encourage a healthy workplace. With disease processes such as hypertension, autoimmune disorders, depression, anxiety, and PTSD associated with workplace bullying (Healthy Workplace Bill [HWB], 2016), the author feels this education is beneficial, and compliments trauma prevention. Furthermore, she would like to bring some of the tools from the Healthy Workplace Bill (Healthy Workplace Bill [HWB], 2016) to the nurse practice counsel, shared governance committees, and organizational leaders. She would like bullying to be considered a never-event, much like hospital-acquired infections. By employing some of the tactics proposed in the healthy workplace bill, the author of this paper believes she can make a

    Read More

  • Hazing Cases and Qualified Immunity

    1745 Words  | 4 Pages

    In recent years several high profile national cases have brought hazing to the forefront in American society as a real issue and a problematic one at that. According to recent statistics from the University of Maine, 1.5 million high school students are hazed each year. Of the athletes who have reported hazing, 40% have reported that a coach or advisor was aware of the activity. 22% report that the coach was actually involved in the activities. (Allan & Madden, 2008). Moreover, 36% of students say they would not report hazing primarily because “there’s no one to tell,” and 27% feel that officials or coaches won’t handle the situation right. In additional research a survey was conducted in which coaches were questioned about whether they believe that hazing goes on in their community; 50% responded yes, that hazing was in fact going on. Of the coaches who responded 25% admitted that they themselves were hazed in some form at a younger age (“InsideHazing”, 2010). In light of these findings, the question of who should be responsible is raised. Specifically, it brings up the legal question of “whether a coach has a valid qualified immunity defense to a student athlete’s constitutional rights violation claim when the student is involved in a hazing incident.”

    Read More

  • Student Abuse and Rape in College

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    The amount of rape and abuse cases according to statistics is at an unacceptable high. At least 1 in 4 women will experience sexual assault during their years in college (Sexual Assault and College Campuses – Statistics). In many instances the incident is a result from alcohol intoxication. According to Sara Lawrence College at least 50% of sexual assault cases include alcohol (Sexual Assault and College Campuses – Statistics). Administration from all over must come together to put an end to senseless abuse.

    Read More

  • Mass School Shootings in America

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    Bullying, often dismissed as a normal part of growing up, is a real problem in our nation's schools, according to the National School Safety Center. One out of every four schoolchildren endures taunting, teasing, pushing, and shoving daily from schoolyard bullies. More than 43 percent of middle- and high-school students avoid using school bathrooms for fear of being harassed or assaulted. Old-fashioned schoolyard hazing has escalated to instances of extortion, emotional terrorism, and kids toting guns to school. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of all incidents of school violence begin with verbal conflicts, w...

    Read More

  • Youth Sports are Too Intense

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Young athletes put in danger by the competition, aggressiveness, and intensity of sports. Kids everyday are being pushed past limits by coaches parents and fans. The intensity of sports has become so high they are causing mental and physical exhaustion. Sports like wrestling has kids eat different to either lose gain weight. Football player, Baseball player, and even cheerleader have to work out in extreme temperatures. Some kids involved in competitive sports have been taking weight lifting classes and even just conditioning. The youth are being put in danger due to how competitive, aggressive, and intense youth sports have become.

    Read More

  • Descriptive Essay - The Wrestling Room

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Hotchkiss High School Wrestling room, though bland through out most of the year, transforms during the winter sports season. By itself, the room is nothing. It could be used for many things, but happens to be the perfect size and shape for a wrestling mat to be laid down with a little room on either side. What makes the room so significant is not the shape, size, color or any other dimension. It is the people; the atmosphere during a wrestling practice that makes the room so infamous.

    Read More

  • School Sports Persuasive Essay

    357 Words  | 1 Pages

    I believe schools should not force students to participate in organized sports. Medical conditions, such as asthma, prevent students from being able to participate. Family situations may leave the student with no ride to or from practice. Students may not have time to be able to

    Read More

  • Coaching Philosophy

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    The journal article, “What does sport mean to you? Fun and other preferences for adolescents’ sport participation” claims that fun, social aspects, masculinity, and identity are the main reasons youth participate in sports (Skille and Østera˚ s, 360). Oftentimes, athletes forget they are on the same team, and they start to form cliques or groups based around who has the best bench press or 40 meter dash time. As a result, teammates start to compete with each other instead of working towards the same goal. For instance, one coaching journal article claims that “moral reasoning” in youth is determined through “collective norms” or group behaviors that the coach has a hand in influencing (Shields, LaVoi, Bredemeier, Power, 748-749). A proper coaching environment should therefore revolve around a fun, supportive, and collective environment where success is encouraged through the full support of the team. This support can further be developed through proper positive mindfulness and code of conduct guidelines set forth by the coach; for instance, hazing should be discouraged and proper communication and helpfulness among teammates should be

    Read More

  • The Skeletal System

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    also used for example in a rugby scum, to body needs to be placed in

    Read More

  • Bullying, Suicide, and Bullicide

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bullying is a major problem in our society today, especially among teens. Bullying can be found in many forms, such as, direct bullying, which is considered kicking, hitting, making cruel comments, or threats. On the other hand, indirect bullying is spreading rumors, or excluding someone from a group; most of the time indirect bullying is done by females. Another form of bullying is cyber-bullying, which is done on the internet, social networking sites, email, or texting. This has become a very popular form of bullying over the past few years. Also, hazing is considered bullying. The term hazing can vary from singing an embarrassing song to extreme physical torture (Rees 24). Hazing is mostly done in sports and in social groups. The term “bullying” is considered a verbal or physical action that causes physical or psychological harm, is repeated over time, and occurs in a relationship of unequal power (Waters 7). Some people think that bullying does not lead to suicide, and that bullying is just a natural part of life. However, bullying, in many cases, is leading to suicide.

    Read More

  • A New Positive Look at Hazing

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    Meaningless insults and unnecessary abuse occurs often while growing up. No matter what age, sex, or race a person maybe it is hard to escape the nastiness of others. Today children are growing up in a society that knows how to haze before they know the meaning of the word. Hazing ranged from little humiliating actions to something more serious such as drunken activities. There are many hazing incidents that go too far but for the most part hazing is silly tasks that does not seriously harm anyone. Some hazing cases include isolation, drills, not letting the pledges shower, and depriving them from sleep for a day or so. Hazing comes in many strengths and variations and in every way it will help build the ...

    Read More

More about The Evils of Hazing

Open Document