Andrew Sexton Essays (2324 words) - , Term Papers

Andrew Sexton English 101-01 Dr. Reid Hazing: The Nationwide Problem Imagine someone joining an organization with the hope of feeling wanted and sense of being cared for. However, when that person joins the organization, they are welcomed by torture, embarrassment, and loss of self-confidence. These actions and feelings are not uncommon, as they actually occur very often throughout the United States. This phenomenon is known as hazing. Hazing is any action taken or any situation created intentionally that causes embarrassment, harassment or ridicule and risks emotional and/or physical harm to members of a group or team, whether new or not, regardless of the person's willingness to participate (Hazing Prevention). Hazing in the United States traditionally has been known for having negative effects on people. These effects range from mental health issues and injuries to some cases as bad as death. These negative issues caused by hazing are seen throughout the United States, especially in the military, college and even athletics as well. Hazing has been one of the longest standing traditions in the military. When new members of a platoon or unit join, they are welcomed by cruel forms of torture and embarrassment, just to prove if they really want to be involved in their group. Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative forms of hazing in the military. When a solider makes a mistake, or a series of mistakes that negatively affects his platoon or infantry, there will often be actions taking place that are called corrective actions. Corrective action or corrective training is the use of techniques by leaders in the military to help soldiers' knowledge and skill within certain tasks. Corrective action itself is not an act of hazing, however it can be taken to extremes where it can be considered an act of hazing. Although it sounds like a good concept when written down, there are certain cases where these techniques are used in terrible ways. One main example is a soldier named Danny Chen. Chen was a nineteen-year-old pri vate who was on duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was seen as a "weak soldier, someone who fell asleep on guard duty, who forgot his helmet" (Chu). As a result of the negative affect he had on the infantry, he was put in the corrective training where they had Chen do certain tasks throughout the post. One time, Chen forgot to turn off the water pump in the showers, and as a result, "he was dragged across a gravel yard on his back until it bled." And fellow members of the infantry "threw rocks at him to simulate artillery. They called him dragon lady,' gook' and chink'" (Chu). The trauma enforced on Chen led him to take his rifle to his chin and pull the trigger of his rifle, where it instantly killed him. These actions on Chen do not wholly represent the process of corrective action, nor do they provide an accurate description of the purpose of corrective action, however it does show that there is an extent that can be reached which can then be classified as hazing. There are other examples of hazing or hazing rituals in the military such as times when soldiers are beat without resistance, sexually assaulted, and even strapped to chairs where soldiers are forced to drink alcohol and take beatings from their fellow soldiers. Even though the actions and the case of Chen is terrible, there are still some members of the military that see hazing as a positive. The majority of cases in the military regarding hazing are extremely negative, but there are still a few cases of hazing that use activities as fun and good-natured actions to welcome new members into a family. According to Peter Sessum, a former soldier, "Hazing in many forms is a way of welcoming soldiers into the unit. On paper, hazing seems abusive and mean spirited, but it is in fact good natured and fun. Hazing is not abusiveWhen it becomes abuse, it is bullying. And there is a distinct difference." There are many traditions in the Military when it comes to promotion and welcoming into the platoon. The main tradition is when a soldier is promoted, the captain of the crew hits the