Difference between revisions of "Hazing Paper"

Revision as of 17:51, 29 May 2006

ThePlaz needs to write a 800-1000 word essay on bullying using a focal viewpoint. The project was due on May 4, 2006.

Focus

He is supose to focus in on one topic. He has chosen Hazing as his "General topic" and possibly pick Freshemen Hazing as his "focused topic." He might expand to High School Hazing for his Focused topic.

I have decided I will focus on high school hazing. This includes both freshmen, (which there was not much information on), and sports teams. (Also for sports teams, new members are often freshmen) I can talk about how teens try to out-do one another and how hazing can esclate to being dangerous and illegal. --Plaz 14:18, 17 April 2006 (EDT)

Sources

• Must have 4 articles from databases. One from SIRS, one from EBSCO Host, one from Facts.com, and one from Opposing Viewpoints.
• Also he must have two of the following: book soucres, website, or interview.

The soucres I am using are (or in part) here: Hazing Paper/Sources

We go to the libary on 3/29/06 and 3/31/06 to research and listen to the boring database presentation.

I have gotton permission to replace an EBSCO source with another SIRS source.

Finished MLA Works Cited: [1]

“A Culture of Violence?: Current Topics of Special Interest.” Information Plus Reference Series. Ed. Kathleen Edgar. 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thompson Gale. 29 March 2006 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC?vrsn=229&slb=SU&locID=have49147&srchtp=basic&c=1&ste=18&tbst=ts_basic&tab=2&txb=hazing&docNum=X3011390107&fail=0&bConts=10>. Bowers, Matthew. “Rites & Wrongs.” The Virginian Pilot. 4 Sept. 2005. SIRS Researcher via SIRS Knowledge Source. ProQuest. 29 March 2006 <http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SPL2300-0-3494&artno=0000238315&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=Y&ic=N>. Bushweller, Kevin. “Brutal Rituals, Dangerous Rites.” The American School Board Journal. Aug. 2000. SIRS Researcher via SIRS Knowledge Source. ProQuest. 29 March 2006 <http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SPL2300-0-3494&artno=0000121184&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=Y&ic=N>. “Hazing.” Issues &Controversies on File @ Facts.com. 7 Aug. 1998. Facts on File News Services. 29 March 2006 <http://www.2facts.com/ICOF/Search/i0301570.asp>. Hazing Defined. Stophazing.org. 10 March 2005. 4 April 2006 <http://www.stophazing.org/definition.html>. High School Hazing. Stophazing.org. 30 Sept. 2005. 31 March 2006 <http://www.stophazing.org/high_school_hazing/index.htm>.

Shift through Info

In my notebook. I might scan it in latter. --Plaz 14:13, 17 April 2006 (EDT)

Thesis

Working Thesis: Although high school hazing can be harmless, it can escalate to being dangerous and illegal as teens try to out-do one another. --Plaz 14:16, 17 April 2006 (EDT)

Morphed to: Although high school hazing starts out and seems harmless, it can quickly escalate to being dangerous and illegal. --Plaz 17:58, 30 April 2006 (EDT)

Outline Draft

1. Working Thesis: Although high school hazing can be harmless, it can escalate to being dangerous and illegal as teens try to out-do one another.
2. Constant Notice: “Hazing Creep” – keeps getting worse and worse as teens try to out-do one another
3. Topic One: Can turn illegal and dangerous
   1. Mention hs case where it was dangerous – and person’s life affected
   2. In college - lots of people die from it
      1. (98% of hazing death are alcohol related)
      2. mention a bit about frats
      3. if people know it is wrong in hs – this can be prevented
4. Two: It is done because students feel they need to belong
   1. Peer pressure
   2. Both hazer (Source 8) and the victim (7) feel peer pressure
   3. Teens need to belong (pp)
   4. Under reported because coaches did it (as hs students) and they go along with it
      1. Hazers also did it a few years ago (and try to best that)
   5. New people want to join teem – might not know it’s wrong
   6. Coaches and hazers don’t know danger (of escalation)
5. Three: It’s just wrong!
   1. People shouldn’t suffer for joining a team
      1. Eight-> “abuse of power and human dignity”
   2. Some people just don’t want to do it
      1. Give theater boy example
         1. ruined his life! (sort-of)
   3. Counterpoint: Makes groups stronger
      1. Better ways to “build teamwork”
      2. ?give example of how people are doing that?
6. Other points (that I should work in somehow - ?or not?):
   1. Hazing victims give their consent (?into point three?)
   2. Less sever- doesn’t deserve punishment – (see source 4)

Final Paper

FINAL!--Plaz 17:40, 1 May 2006 (EDT)

Hazing is a very dangerous form of bullying. About 70 people have been killed by hazing in the last 20 years (Facts.com 2). “’Hazing’ refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group … that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate” (Hazing Defined 1). Most hazing deaths occur because the act goes too far; the hazers get carried away. Their intention is to have a team building activity or make sure members are up to snuff (Facts.com 2). However, this is not what really happens. The acts often cross the line, and the victims do not complain because they want to join the group (Facts.com 2). Teens often want to outdo one another; each year, teens do something more dangerous than what happened to them while they were the victims (Bowers 1; Bushweller 3). Not only can these acts be dangerous, but they are also an “abuse of power and [a] violation of human dignity” (High School Hazing). If teens can be educated that this hurtful and inhumane act of bullying is forbidden in high school, then they will know that it is not acceptable in college, where hazing becomes the most dangerous.

Although high school hazing starts out and seems harmless, it can quickly escalate to being harmful, dangerous, and illegal. However, in most cases, the victim will still take part because they want to join the group. Take for instance, Casey Culpepper. She wanted to join the volleyball team her first year in high school. All through the summer, the threat of the "initiation" haunted her. One day she and her friends were attacked by seniors after class and smeared with concoctions that included canned dog food, eggs, ketchup, mustard, horse manure and pet feces. They were then hosed off so hard that it hurt (Bowers 1). Other students at Western Branch High School were attacked with chemicals and waste from portable toilets. These students must now take powerful HIV drugs and undergo frequent screenings for AIDS (Bowers 1). Their lives will never be the same after this harmful experience. Nick Haben was 18 when he was forced to consume large amounts of hard liquor and beer, jump over bonfires, and swim in a creek. He was just trying to join the college lacrosse team at Western Illinois University. He later passed out into a coma and died that night in his dorm. No one bothered to bring him to a hospital and save his life (Bushweller 2).

Unfortunately, the problem only gets worse after high school. Fraternities and sororities, tight social clubs in college based off the Greek system, are notorious for their dangerous hazing practices. The movie “Animal House,” is a showcase of the problem in popular culture. Hazing and physical abuse in fraternities began with class fights between freshmen and seniors in the late 19th century and was based off military initiation rituals (Facts.com 5). By the 1970’s, alcohol became a part of almost every fraternity function, including hazing (Facts.com 6). Alcohol impairs one’s ability of judgment and the ability to know when to stop a dangerous situation. In fact, according to Eileen Stevens, the president of the Committee to Halt Useless College Killings (CHUCK), alcohol is a factor in 98% of all fatal hazing incidents (qtd. in Facts.com 6). In addition, this figure does not contain the incidents that college officials classified only as alcohol-related incidents (qtd. in Facts.com 6). This is why college is when most hazing turns fatal. However, teens in high school also drink alcohol and their judgment becomes impaired too. If students in high school learn that hazing is unacceptable, they will say no to hazing in college. Hopefully, they will recognize that they are being put in a dangerous situation and ask the hazers to stop. However, most victims are afraid to speak up when they are being victimized by hazing.

Hazing victims do not speak up and ask for the hazing to stop because of peer pressure (High School Hazing). Victims believe that the hazing is necessary to join the group, club, team, or activity (Bushweller 2). However, peer pressure not only forces the victim to go along with the act, but also forces the hazers to continue and the coaches to overlook it. Administrators, coaches, and teachers, as well as the hazers, believe the hazing is an acceptable tradition that should be allowed to continue (High School Hazing). Also, the older students are afraid to speak up and stop their friends from hazing others. They are afraid of peer pressure. Teachers and coaches do not know the dangers of hazing and are unwilling to stop it (High School Hazing). This must change. But still, through peer pressure, no one speaks up about hazing – not the victims or the hazers. This allows dangerous situations to occur, both in high school and through into college. However, the problem has gotten better. High schools and colleges now educate students about the dangers of hazing (Facts.com 11). Forty-four states have also passed laws against hazing (Bowers 2). School districts are creating anti-hazing policies (Bushweller 2). That means that hazing is no longer “being swept under the rug” in most places (Facts.com 11). However, hazing goes on and continues to put lives at risk.

Teens have a tendency to want to outdo one another (Bowers 1). They want to do something better and harsher than what was done to them when they first joined the team (Bowers 1). This leads to an endless cycle of “hazing creep” (Bowers 1). If hazing can not be stopped, it will grow progressively worse over time. Today’s media also contributes to the problem (Bowers 1). Teens see television shows such as “Fear Factor” and try to replicate the stunts without realizing that such stunts are closely supervised by trained professionals. In addition, teens may observe their peers doing crazy things. As a result of peer pressure an endless cycle of hazing creep continues. Hazing will get progressively worse if it can not be stopped soon.

Hazing is just wrong! Kids should not need to go through humiliation rituals to join a club or team. There is no need for these activities to take place. Hazing defenders say that hazing helps build team solidarity (Facts.com 3). “Prolonged hazing works to break down a person's earlier group allegiances and replace them with new beliefs and loyalties” says James Ogloff, a psychology professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada (qtd. in Facts.com 3). However, there are much more constructive ways to build team camaraderie. Games that build trust are better then ones that destroy trust and cause suffering. There are no valid excuses to why hazing s