Poll: Hazing: Yay or Nay?

[mitchell271]

I'm going to be a university freshman this coming fall (not college, university, there's a difference in Canada) and I was wondering what your opinion on hazing was. Is it a good thing, is it immature and annoying or maybe even fun? Personally, I'm not really looking forward to it if it does happen but I feel there won't really be an issue if I talk to someone about it and if necessary, I can defend myself.

Also, feel free to share any hazing stories you might have. Doesn't matter if you were receiving or administering, post away!

 

[Private Custard]

Anyone tries to stick a sharpie permanent marker up my arse and they'll find themselves getting beaten senseless, locked in the boot of my car and dumped in some remote woodland!

Seriously, this shit actually happens?? Do people actually like each other, or is it just a case of tribes and strength in numbers?

People are proper wankers sometimes!

 

[hazabaza1]

...hazing?
Assuming this is an American thing, correct?

 

[Goofguy]

The hazing that involves drinking challenges and mild practical jokes is fine by me. The type that involves bodily harm and utter humiliation is just downright pathetic.

 

[Phasmal]

I thought that was... not allowed any more?

I don't know much about it, though, I'm from the UK.
Sounds like a bloody silly idea to me.

 

[senordesol]

A little hazing (read: not dangerous, not derogatory, and not threatening) is just fine in my opinion, it's part of being accepted in the group.

I remember in the Scouts we invented this 'medical' procedure that new Scouts would supposedly be subject to. It was a vaccination against some made-up disease, but here's the catch: the needle is like, as long as your arm because the vaccine needs 'deep tissue penetration' in order to work.

To sell this, one of the older scouts was always 'due for re-immunization. What we'd have him do is just after the camp safety lecture, one of the counselors would select the Scout and bring him behind the medical cabin. He'd scream and come back out holding his back. Then we'd call the new Scouts and (provided they weren't freaking out too much) they'd go back there and get candy.

All great fun, a silly little prank to play on the new kids that all the old kids were in on.

 

[TheFinish]

We don't practice it here, so I really have no experience with it. From what I read, it sounds kinda stupid but hey, could be fun.

 

[wintercoat]

...hazing?
Assuming this is an American thing, correct?

Not even close to an American thing. It's a worldwide thing. It's basically a fancy term for excessive bullying dressed up as an initiation rite, and has been happening for centuries. It's done in the military, in many work places, in schools, in sports, in elite social clubs and organizations, in firefighter and police forces, even in small social groups that you wouldn't think would have such ridiculous things such as initiation rites.

 

[Dragonclaw]

Any group that says we'll welcome you but first we're going to make you go through a bunch of crap is not a group I wish to be a part of.

 

[MammothBlade]

It is used to instill obedience and destroy the individuality of an initiate. Might as well just force potential recruits to fight to the death instead.

 

[aba1]

I will never figure out why the hell people put themselves through this garbage. I just don't get the logic behind how spanking people and calling them homosexual slurs somehow makes them lifelong buddies.

People actually do that? I have never heard of it happening before in real life. Btw what school you going to?

 

[him over there]

As someone who has gone through hazing I can say it's a both horrible but ultimately gratifying experience that you need to experience to understand. Getting hazed in the beginning of highschool led me to make incredibly strong bonds with my friends. It's essentially using the same logic as this:

 

[Kae]

I had never heard that word before, but after reading a couple of posts I think I've got an idea as to what it is, and I really have no idea if this is a thing that's done on México, but it sounds stupid and like something I would never do, but then again I have never belonged to a group or felt the need to, so it's obviously not something I'd do.

 

[JaceArveduin]

No idea, I went to college and was left alone.

This was probably because if they'd tried such bullshit with me, I'd probably have gotten... Violent.

 

[SeeIn2D]

Well I'm entering college soon and will hopefully make it onto the football (soccer) team so I'm fully aware of the hazing bullshit that goes on. It's honestly so stupid. Having someone chug a keg of shitty piss water beer until they throw up or have to be hospitalized then yucking it up while they're in so godforsaken place sick doesn't sound like the best method of acceptance to me. Now I may be wrong, but that doesn't sound like a jolly good time.

 

[Twilight_guy]

No I don't support it. You can have initiations without having it be a right of pain. I've seen it myself. Shared experiences are not exclusive to hazing.

 

[eimatshya]

I never really encountered any hazing when I started college in the US. My experience was that everyone was pretty laid back and left each other alone. Then again, I had the same experience in high school, so maybe I'm just lucky. Of course, I didn't play any sports or join any frats or anything like that, so maybe that's where the hazing happens.

I guess the closest thing I can think to hazing in my life is in my Judo class. Whenever someone gets promoted or has a birthday or something, everyone gets to throw that person. But throwing people is, like, 75 percent of Judo, so you get thrown a bajillion times by everyone in the class during practice anyway. As such, it basically is only hazing on paper (if even that).

Back to OT, I never really got the point of hazing. I mean, it's supposed to build bonds, but in my experience, that usually happens anyway without having to put any extra effort into it.

 

[manic_depressive13]

I'd never heard of such a thing until I read through this thread. It sounds pretty shitty.

 

[darlarosa]

Hazing...at my college in the states it never happened, besides a lot of schools are banning "hazing activities" due to recent deaths involving those activities.

Truthfully, you always have the choice to be a part of that BS. If you associate with people who would do things that negatively impact you, try to force you into something, etc, then you get what you get.

Hazing isn't a "friendly" activity really...in fact to me it represents cult like behavior. Usually including ripping away your identity, forcing you into something under group pressure.Basically being a butt.