Originally Posted by
raginbeef
Yeah, having someone spit on you, hit you, not let you sleep for days, and force you to drink until you throw up or pass out really evokes the spirit of brotherly love for me.
I had a friend in another fraternity at UL. They made their class clean up their entire tailgate area after a football game (no problem with that at all). Then the “brothers” rounded up all the trash, brought it back to the house, dumped it in the middle of the chapter room, and made the pledges pick it all up again while they threw stuff at them and insulted them. If that’s how you would treat your brother, I’d hate to be in your family. That’s not love. That’s not respect. It doesn’t teach any lessons, other than how to be an A-hole to the next class.
IMO, a fraternity should build vertical unity between all members, not just those of individual classes. Hazing will create very strong horizontal unity between classmates because they went through such intense experiences and had to stick together. But it doesn’t create a bond with the incumbent members. If anything, it creates hatred and resentment. It is much more difficult to create vertical unity. You have to recruit a certain type of person and establish a set of shared values and ideals. Build trust through respect over time. Show them that they are valued members of the group and work together towards a common goal. Like I said, more difficult, but ultimately more rewarding. Again, just my opinion