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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1968 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 25, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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The reaction to fraternity hazing incidents is extremely funny to me. “These poor willing adult male participants were socially pressured to do something humiliating to strengthen the bonds of friendship. Such harm can’t go unnoticed; we must publicly humiliate them on the news for millions of people to see and comment on while showing their faces on video whenever possible.” It’s just so stupid.

Look at it this way: the purpose of fraternities is to provide cross-generational help to college students. Do we, as a society, benefit from additional ties between people that are willing to both undergo and perpetuate abuse? "Oh, this applicant is from Alpha Beta Gamma like me, I need more men that are willing to fuck a live duck and not quack about it in my company!"

benefit from additional ties between people that are willing to both undergo and perpetuate abuse?

Well, doctors in residency programs and the marines provide benefits. But the hazing incidents that have been publicized recently recently do not involve abuse like consistent sleep deprivation over months, just mild discomfort like “blindfolded in basement” or “covered in condiments”. We benefit a lot from this because society benefits from fraternity (consider the importance of the mystery cults for Roman society). If you were to make these guys run into each other at maximum speed so that you can guarantee mental disturbances later in life and ~10 injuries a semester, well, this is no longer abuse, these are VIPs whom we have to fund generously and build a stadium for.

Well, doctors in residency programs and the marines provide benefits.

I'd argue Residency isn't really hazing most of the team - the mistreatment can easily continue before and afterwards (it's base for any job in academia, which all Residencies basically are), the hours are bad but they aren't team building it's free labor.

Do we, as a society, benefit from additional ties between people that are willing to both undergo and perpetuate abuse?

Yes. Our institutions have undergone visible decline since we started acting like they are a detriment.

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