Sarah Mitzel
Michael Birk
Sociology – Research Paper
14 April 2009
Throughout the history, the prevalence of “hazing” has made its mark on the youth of society. Everywhere from gang initiations, high school, and colleges, hazing has quickly become a staple in today’s society. Fraternities is the most prevalent know group for social hazing, starting in the early 1990’s. A leading cause to alcoholism, binge drinking, and drug addictions.
Hazing has been around for decades, but only up until the early 1990’s has it made headlines. In the past decades, hazing might have consisted of pledges staying up all night, or doing things for their pledge masters at any hour of the day. These would have been huge deals back in then because of the way the social life was. Today this is just a mere account of what really happens on college campuses during hell week. Today, hazing is not only sleep deprivation, but it also consists of drinking games, and risky behaviors. Pledges are told to stay up all night proving that they can with stand the lack of sleep and still get through classes the next day. Pledges are told to partake in drinking games where the outcome might be a bad hangover to death. Pledges are told to engage in risky behaviors that go against their own morals and values, but are done anyways to be accepted. Being accepted is not the easiest thing to do. Studies have shown that the highest rate of hazing is among fraternities, leading at 73% (Sharp 2008). While this includes humiliating the pledges during a roast or skit, to wearing embarrassing clothing in public, enduring harsh weather conditions without the proper clothing, to drinking large amounts of alcohol and/or having to watch or engage in sex acts. Most people don’t think half of these listed are considered hazing, but in fact they are. The most commonly talked about is drinking in any form.
The most widely known fraternity represented for hazing throughout history has been the Tau Kappa...