Rule 15: Why I must haze this pledge

"The pledge has to earn his membership."  Joining a Greek organization is an honor. Membership is exclusive. We should only allow the most qualified people into our organizations. However, they can prove their worthiness by means other than hazing.  "You have to break pledges down to build them back up. This is what the military does, and it produces the best leaders in the world." This is nonsense. I was an officer in the military, and that is not how it works. The military takes individuals who show potential (which is why it has such an extensive recruiting program) and makes them a better version of themselves. There is no hazing or breaking anyone down. If someone can't cut it, the military weeds him out. The military trains officers by giving them a number of tasks that they cannot possibly accomplish in the time allotted. This forces officers to be efficient- to be smart in how they prioritize tasks. This instills discipline. It also instills confidence because officers learn that they can do more than they thought was possible. This is how the military teaches leadership, and they are the best in the world at it.  "This is how I became a brother/sister, and I'm not going to stop a tradition." This is tough one to counter because it isn't a very intellectual argument. If this mindset were prevalent everywhere in the world, then there would never be any improvement. I would deal with this reason by continually asking, "Why can't we be better?" If your chapter members don't want to improve, then you are talking to a lost cause.

“The Chapter President –Preparing Sorority and Fraternity Leaders for the Unexpected”
by Patrick Daley
thefraternityadvisor.com