Hazing Rite or Wrong? - Brief Article

0 Comments | Current Events, Oct 6, 2000

WHEN LIZZIE MURTIE joined her high school gymnastics team in Vermont, she was excited to be part of the team. As part of her initiation, Murtie and the other new girls were told they had to dress up in silly clothes and sing "I'm a Little Teapot" on a busy street corner in town. Murtie didn't mind singing in public, but unfortunately, that was only the beginning. Eventually, Murtie and the other girls were told to do much more humiliating things (things we can't even print) in front of their classmates. Murtie said she did what she was told because "[I was] afraid of what would happen if I said no."

Murtie was a victim of hazing. Hazing is defined as "any humiliating or dangerous activity expected of you to join a group, regardless of your willingness to participate."

A recent Alfred University survey found that nearly half of all U.S. high school students, or about 1.5 million kids, have undergone some form of hazing. The study also found that hazing is not harmless--it can be humiliating, violent, and dangerous.

Unlike most victims of hazing, however, Murtie spoke out. She helped persuade Vermont's legislature to pass an antihazing law. Currently, some forms of hazing are illegal in 42 states. The details of such laws vary from state to state.

Peer Pressure

In a number of instances, hazing has not been treated seriously by local authorities. When a Michigan boy went to the police after being violently beaten with a wooden coat hanger by his basketball teammates, for example, the police allegedly just laughed.

Hillary Bargar, a juvenile prosecutor in Connecticut, said she hopes such attitudes will change. Bargar said, "[Hazing] is supposed to be some kind of team unity issue. But it's really an ongoing pattern of abuse and assault."

Brian Rahill, age 23, founded an anti-hazing Web site after being hazed in college. Rahill said, "Hazing is not about harmless traditions or silly antics. Hazing is about the abuse of power and violation of human dignity."

Rite of Passage

Although most people agree that violent hazing is wrong, some say not all hazing is bad. They say hazing is a harmless rite of passage for many young people. An anonymous source said on a Web site about hazing, "Don't get me wrong, I know hazing can go astray and cause serious problems, but complete bans [on hazing] are unbelievable. All I've felt from hazing is a stronger sense of unity."

Another source said, "Hazing taught me to humble myself, listen to authority, interact with several people, and most of all, push myself beyond what I ever had to overcome."

Has hazing been a problem in your high school? What might the school do to make it less offensive?

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