Is hazing freshman a beneficial tradition or a dangerous act?
BY ERIN FERRIS
Does a group of freshmen being dragged down a hill while chained together with zip ties seem harsh? To many people, it may seem a cruel thing to do, but to others, such as myself, it is a fun and exciting experience. Some high schools have interesting traditions to spice up the year and make it a little more thrilling, and our school is one of them.
At Grady, hazing is one of our unique rituals. The freshmen come with smiles on their faces until they see the seniors. The seniors come with fire in their eyes and payback in their hearts. That’s when we, the fresh meat, run.
The seniors have always had traditions set up so they can practically do anything to us as long as they are smart and don’t get caught doing it. The schemes they come up with can sound terrifying, especially if you have no siblings who have experienced hazing. Lucky for me, however, my older sisters explained the details to me and gave me some survival tips. Enduring the hazing traditions of the first week of school means acceptance.
The crazy things that seniors do are only fun and games. They can make you get down on your knees and propose to a random senior, take you by your hands and drag you down the Piedmont Park hills, cover you with silly string, demand that you fetch the soccer balls that fly over the fence and even place goofy name tags on you.
These things are simply traditions, and no one is actually meant to get hurt during these hazing activities; they are just for fun. I think being a part of these thrilling, secretive plans is an exciting experience.
Parents are not too fond of the seniors’ antics. I completely disagree; everyone needs to loosen up. Parents don’t understand high school life and the traditions that go along with being in high school. Times have changed since they were teenagers. Parents need to stop worrying about their kids so much and let them live a little.
The freshmen know that when they are finally seniors, they will find ways to haze the new kids. It’s not like the upperclassmen are harassing us for no reason. When they were freshmen, they too got picked on, had food thrown at them and were dragged down the hill.
They haze for revenge, and in the future, so will we. Our time is going to come, so just have fun with the teasing.
I look at it this way: if a senior comes up to you, jokes around and plays with you, then they really must like you. So just have a positive attitude and the weeks will pass more quickly.
Hazing is simply a tradition. You’re only fresh meat once in high school, so make sure you have an exhilarating story to tell. Seniors only get to have this experience once, and soon it will be our turn. In the end, it’s all fun and traditions. Just remember: GK, GK, we all we got.