Are violent initiation rites really necessary in fostering camaraderie & brotherhood among fraternity members?

Question

Using the paddle, "running through the gauntlet" and the like are just a few that comes to mind. Can humiliating a human being in a "discrete" setting like this truly promote fraternal feelings among the members?

Answer 1

The infliction of pain, or using bondage is a specialisation sought by men with deeply psychological needs. An interview with a d********x in her gymnasium, emphasised that her work had nothing to do with 'relief'.

Initiation violence is another kettle of fish. It is usually secret and satisfies sadists, masochists and power-freaks of the world.  If it satisfies a need in the members, and gives a service unobtainable elsewhere, its very secrecy seems to form a bond of brotherhood and trust.

Answer 2

I think at one time the various initiation rites were supposed to foster camaraderie and brotherhood. Things have become violent as fraternities have become larger and of course as video games have become more violent. When you only have one or two chapters it is easy to control the initiation and remove members that get overly violent against new members. However once the fraternity swells to having chapters in other states ect. then you have the problem of not always knowing who is being allowed to control the rites. For instance a local chapter leader may allow the previous years initiates to run the rites of initiation as a way of letting them get revenge by proxy. I personally think that some of these fraternities prove the point about the benefits of keeping governments local rather that allowing larger and larger countries. For instance, in the Iron Age Nordic/Germanic villages, a special test and ceremony were held to see if a young man was ready to receive his first spear and shield. This was the way they said that he was officially considered a man. This test was always done by the elders of the tribe however not the younger warriors.

Answer 3

Psychologically speaking is all this violence breeds hate among the pledges and that is a commonality that can bring people together to work as  team thish is the goal of most pledging processes.

However there is not need to cause physical or mental pain to bring pledges together.

It can be done in many other less hurtful ways.

Though what i have seen in pledge processes per fraternity differ. And each spawn difference in memberships.

I have seen fraternities that just require the pledge themselves to do like community service and wirte and essay by themselves and others making the whole pledge class do it as a group. And gernally speaking in the fraternities where pledging was ment to be a team building process the more the person enjoyed the fraternity.

Answer 4

For some.

Answer 5

Friendship and working toward common goals promotes fraternal feelings.  Violent initiations, hazing, is sadistic tradition that won't go away and unfortunately leads to occasional deaths and injury.

Answer 6

They seem pretty mindless, stupid and degrading to me.  I don't understand why anyone even wants to be a part of such silliness.

Answer 7

those in charge only bolster their ego to humiliate the lessers..get a bunch of underlings that have been thru the prosses an grab the leader some nite and tie him/her to the lite post naked in the center of town some nite and see the change

Answer 8

Two Examples:

1) People that share extreme events with each other tend to bond with each other in deep rooted way that holds them together. War buddies, prisoners, survivors of shipwrecks; all these types of people bond closely with the person that lived through it with them. Even if they just met that day that moment when they see each other they hug like they were always together.

2) The buddy that you grew up with, friends from school these people can move away and you never hear from them again. You think about them and if you see them its all good but you don't go all out about it.

Answer 9

I don't think it's necessary.