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[kumquatgoulash]

Pledging vs. Hazing in BGLOs

So after Burning Sands debuted on Netflix, a lot of Black Greeks went on Twitter talking about how the hazing depicted in the movie is not a proper pledging process and that there’s a difference: pledging builds character, and hazing just hurts people. But honestly, it seems like there is no real difference between the two things.

For the record, I’m an undergraduate member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. who did not have a complete pledging process. There were two instances where I and my two co-initiates were made to meet the prophytes on campus around midnight and recite information in a stressful and uncomfortable environment (at one point there were wall-sits. I have no idea what that has to do with community service, but whatever.). I cried the first time, and angrily ranted about how stupid and wasteful it was after the second time, and I ended up not doing anything else after that. My line sisters decided that they wanted a process, though, and ended up doing one over the summer.

Anyway, what I’m trying to communicate is that I don’t know the full details of what a pledging process entails, and no one will tell me. All I ever hear is the same rhetoric that pledging “breaks you down so we can build you back up,” and that it involves placing stress on people and humiliating them, which is supposed to make them stronger, though I’m not sure how. But humiliation and stress being applied as part of the admission process into an exclusive group sounds like hazing to me, and since no one will give me details to explain how pledging is allegedly different, I can only assume there is no difference.

Additionally, there’s this thing that people say: “Everyone experiences their process differently.” It seems like this is just said to discourage people from discussing and comparing pledging processes. But the problem is that this means nobody can know for sure how “proper” their own process is, assuming there is some standardized pledging process that’s “totally different from hazing you just have to believe me.” The details of a process are kept secret ahead of time, you have to trust that things are being done appropriately, but your prophytes could easily be lying and going off script. But since you can’t discuss it with others to compare due to this culture of secrecy, you’ll never know whether your experience is “accurate.” So hazing and “regular” pledging end up hiding behind the same curtain, and the alleged difference between the two disappears.

Either way, you can’t really say that the pledging process is different from hazing because 1) they have matching general traits and 2) the level of secrecy associated with the pledging process makes it impossible to regulate, so it could effectively mean anything. As far as I can tell, the practical difference between pledging and hazing is whether someone feels okay about it afterwards, but if it’s true that “everyone experiences the process differently,” couldn’t it be that for two people on the same line, one could feel like they were pledged “properly” while the other feels like they were hazed?

But again, I’m “paper,” so I have no way of knowing. Unless someone wants to explain to me what this standardized pledging process is, how it works, why it’s done, how it affects an individual’s behavior in a Greek org. I’m especially curious how a “made” member compares to a “paper” one, and if a pledging process is actually advantageous.

[fagustar]

#tradition #ni’au #whitesand #burningsands 🏝♥️❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CJVLZXAg79s/?igshid=2ngxwx0qskm1

[bluepoettree]

It’s been 9 years 🤘🏾 BluePoetTree.com @buffalo_sigmas . . . . . #PhiBetaSigma #SwipeLeft #BuffState #BURNINGSANDS #BetaIota #PBS #TenYearsInTheGame #OfficialOldHead #12InchRule #Sigmaversary #SigmaRoyalty #HighIntensity #GritFace #Fall10 #Fall2010 https://www.instagram.com/p/B408NCTg7dU/?igshid=1b4nkt1cpvrmj

[suavvmagazine]

A few years back, we had the pleasure of interviewing @trevorjackson5 for his role in #BurningSands He was a great guy and we are proud to see his accomplishments as an actor and as a man. Keep up the great work, bro. . . . .visit www.SUAVV.com for all things MEN. . #Magazine #Entertainment #BlackMen #men #inspire #mindset #Style #mensmagazine #menswear #believe #fashion #mensfashion #art #wisdom #Luxury #NeverQuit #Blessed #determination #LosAngeles #Atlanta #NYC #Music #motivation #confidence #life #smile #guy #igdaily #instagood (at Atlanta, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3IVXPABbWx/?igshid=10tyab44sv9zv

[vegout4life]

When you’re attending the ice cream festival with the family knowing you cannot eat the ice cream due to its sugar content, then along comes a cone you simply cannot resist. 😁 Just look at all of this pink and green cuteness!!!! 😍 ~Thank you @MyMenchies! 💞 #NationalVanillaIceCreamDay⁣ ⁣ ____________________⁣ 📸: 1908 FitTight Tights by the one and only @BurningSands ⁣ - PERFECT fit! 👏 Thank you!! 💖💚 #BurningSands ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #VegOut4Life #ComplementaryTherapy #HealthCoach #Consultant #LifeCoach #BossMom #KetoVegetarian #LowCarbVegetarian #AKAFit #MADTeamStrong #TahitianNoniStrong #GetHealthyWithMe #TakeCareOfYourHealth #YourHealthIsYourWealth⁣ ⁣ ⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/B0RPomXhcBB/?igshid=p1riosnq0nlu

[jeremiahjahi]

Decided to put on the Que Psi Phi camo hat in honor of crossing the burning sands in a hard fought battle 23 yrs ago on April 6th (Chaotic KO SP'96) as an undergrad at Brooklyn College. Next to Marine Corps bootcamp the toughest journey traveled, but well worth it. #omegapsiphi1911 #omegapsiphi #burningsands #divinenine #manhood #scholarship and more. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv_NxE6AbT0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1id3ojkt6d8i2

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