"Hazing exists in any army"(Filipov, A28). Unity and respect are imperative when lives are on the line. Hazing turns a group of individuals into a finely tuned machine where all the parts work together as one. "People who volunteer for the service are subjected to taunts and hazing presumably to make it difficult to b

"It may seem incomprehensible to an outsider that the initiates actually participate voluntarily in these rites, but the importance of the ritual is, in part, a reflection of the nature of the requirements of the unit at this stage. Initiates are strangers to each other and to the Airborne. The bonding of the initiation pulls them together in a very short period of time. This phenomenon was noted in the 1950s Aronson & Mills, who remarked that an initiate who endures severe hazing is likely to find membership in a group all the more appealing. In these rituals, soldiers prove their readiness to participate in the group regardless of personal cost, thus gaining peer group acceptance"(Winslow, 185).

In 1997, a pledge at Southeast Missouri State University died of a beating that was a result of his initiation into a fraternity (Roark, 368). Another pledge from a different fraternity died of a bacterial infection as a result of eating uncooked meat during a ritual activity (Roark, 370). Fraternities that force their pledges to drink excessive amounts of alcohol or to perform any other task that puts a pledge's health and life on the line needs to be stopped. The results of Baier's survey shows that only 2 percent of pledges are forced to drink alcohol. Paddling and other violent forms of abuse, nudity, and eating unpalatable foods occur with less than 5 percent of pledges (Baier, 303). The methods of hazing most used are line-ups, yelling, house duties, and sleep disturbances (Baier, 303). Baier's survey also analyzed whether the fraternity members considered hazing to be a problem in their chapter, at their university, and nation wide. The results show that only 10 percent thought hazing was a problem in their chapter, 33 percent believed hazing is a problem at their university, and 47 percent considered it a problem in the fraternity system as a whole. Media has taken its toll on hazing in that it reports all the negative cases and not a single positive display of it. People hear about a pledge dying of alcohol poisoning because of hazing but not the work ethic that Ted Turner received from it to become a multi-billionaire. In light of the survey, the brothers know what goes on in their chapter because they see it first hand and the number is low. At the university level, school newspapers jump on fraternities when given the chance, and hear-say runs wild through dormitories spreading news whether it is true or false. When national television plays clips of pledges getting harmed or runs a full special on fraternity hazing, the public can only come to one conclusion about hazing. The fraternity members surveyed also see this footage and begin to believe fraternities across the nation apply poor hazing methods. The more media that present, the higher the percentage goes for negative feelings of hazing. Media has always been notorious for distorting and taking the side of an issue...this is no different.

The military has not stopped its hazing but has controlled it so that the people who wrongfully haze to cause harm are prosecuted. On December 13, 1997, two male cadets were suspended for their involvement in the attacks of women at the Citadel (Guernsey, A32). The military continues to line up cadets and makes them do physical tasks (i.e. push ups, sit ups, run, etc.) when they disobey a command or break a rule. This hazing develops a level of stress that the soldiers must learn to control and work with because in wartime situations, there is an incomprehensible amount of pressure put upon a soldier that must be dealt with to live. This form of constructive hazing is treasured by the military and continues to keep it strong. The same practice should be applied to greek life hazing...keeps the positive and punishes the negative.

Fraternities have been looked down upon by many people for their "constant parties", lack of concern for school, treatment of women, and most of all their haz

Some common words found in the essay are:
Private Pyle, Aronson Mills, CEOs Fortune, Missouri University, Simon Messing, Ted Turner, Benefit Burden, Guernsey A32, A28 Unity, United America, fraternity life, fraternity hazing, hazing military, hazing bond, fraternity system, fraternities founded secret, brothers hazing, methods hazing, military hazing, actions set, model citizens, produce model citizens,
Approximate Word count = 2797
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)