Omega Rickey Smiley condemns D9 hazing
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Hazing causes lifelong Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mental health issues for former pledges.
- ❖The argument that hazing is 'family business' is invalid when deaths and severe injuries become national news.
- ❖Tradition does not justify hazing; it's a 'generational curse' and a 'cult' that must be broken.
- ❖The 'paper' vs. 'pledged hard' mentality is a manipulative tactic designed to devalue members who didn't endure abuse.
- ❖Founders of Divine Nine organizations never intended for members to be beaten or put in life-threatening situations.
- ❖Hazing, including sleep deprivation, humiliation, and physical abuse, mimics the historical abuse Black people have faced.
- ❖Only one insurance company currently covers the Divine Nine; continued hazing and lawsuits threaten to eliminate this coverage, potentially ending the organizations.
- ❖Members, alumni, and university faculty must actively intervene and refuse to participate in or condone hazing.
- ❖The true purpose of these fraternities and sororities is community service, voter registration, and upliftment, not causing harm.
Insights
1Hazing Inflicts Lifelong PTSD and Mental Health Issues
Ricky Smiley directly addresses the severe psychological impact of hazing, stating that many individuals carry Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and mental health issues for the rest of their lives as a direct result of their pledging experiences. He frames this as a profound betrayal of brotherhood.
Smiley states, 'members of all these fraternities...walking around and for the rest of their life they have posttraumatic stress disorder, from pledging, got mental health issues for the rest of their life from pledging.'
2Hazing is a Generational Curse, Not a Tradition
Both speakers reject the notion that hazing is a valid tradition, instead labeling it a 'generational curse' and a 'cult.' They argue that the historical practice does not make it correct, especially when it leads to death and trauma.
Smiley asserts, 'we just have to get in a point in all of our organizations...where we can break the generational curse. It's a curse. It's a cult.' Roland Martin adds, 'It's kind of stupid to pledge then your ass on scholastic probation.'
3Hazing Poses an Existential Threat to Divine Nine Organizations
Roland Martin reveals a critical vulnerability: only one insurance company currently provides coverage for all Divine Nine organizations. He warns that continued lawsuits and liabilities stemming from hazing incidents could lead to the withdrawal of this coverage, effectively ending the fraternities and sororities due to unaffordable risk.
Martin states, 'One insurance company is representing the divine nine. Only one. If this keep going on and that insurance goes away, it's over. Over. Because the organizations cannot afford the liability.'
4True Organizational Value is Post-College Accomplishment, Not Pledging Hardship
Roland Martin challenges the 'paper' vs. 'pledged hard' debate, arguing that the true measure of a member's greatness in any fraternity or sorority is their accomplishments and contributions after college, not the duration or severity of their pledge process.
Martin says, 'You can't name a single great alpha or great omega or great member of any other fraternity or sorority based upon how they pledged, how long they pledged, where they pledged, or even what they accomplished in college. No, we assign greatness as members on what they did after they got out of school.'
5Members Have a Right to Refuse Hazing and Must Intervene
Both speakers empower individuals to stand against hazing. Roland Martin explicitly states that pledges have the right to refuse physical harm, and current members have a responsibility to intervene when they witness hazing.
Martin states, 'You do you have the right to tell somebody you ain't touching me. You not going to hurt me.' Later, he adds, 'If you a fraternity member or a sorority member and you see another member who about to do something, you snatch they ass and say, "No, you ain't doing this."'
Key Concepts
The Generational Curse of Hazing
This model describes how harmful practices, like hazing, are perpetuated across generations within organizations under the guise of 'tradition' or 'culture,' despite causing severe physical and psychological damage. It highlights the difficulty of breaking cycles of abuse when they are deeply embedded and defended by those who endured them.
False Meritocracy of Suffering
This concept explains the manipulative belief that enduring extreme hardship, pain, or humiliation during a 'pledge process' somehow makes one a 'more legitimate' or 'stronger' member of an organization. It creates a hierarchy based on suffering rather than on contributions, character, or adherence to founding principles, leading to the devaluation of those who join through non-hazing methods.
Lessons
- If you are a member of a fraternity or sorority, actively intervene when you witness hazing, as Roland Martin advises: 'snatch they ass and say, "No, you ain't doing this."'
- Prospective members should understand and assert their right to refuse any form of physical or psychological abuse during a pledge process, stating clearly, 'You ain't touching me. You're not going to hurt me.'
- Parents and mentors should educate young people considering Greek life about their rights and the dangers of hazing, encouraging them to seek organizations that prioritize genuine brotherhood/sisterhood and community service.
- Organizations must 'rewire' their culture away from barbaric traditions, focusing instead on their founding principles of community upliftment, leadership development, and mutual respect to ensure their long-term survival and relevance.
Quotes
"For the rest of their life they have posttraumatic stress disorder, from pledging, got mental health issues for the rest of their life from pledging."
"No black parent should send their young young child to college and he come home in a body bag."
"It's a curse. It's a curse. It's a cult. Uh it's a cult. It's part of a culture. And that don't make it uh correct because of uh tradition."
"You can't name a single great alpha or great omega or great member of any other fraternity or sorority based upon how they pledged, how long they pledged, where they pledged, or even what they accomplished in college. No, we assign greatness as members on what they did after they got out of school, what they accomplished in their life, in their career. That's the measurement."
"One insurance company is representing the divine nine. Only one. If this keep going on and that insurance goes away, it's over."
"What is the point of beating somebody to the point where they don't want to be involved in the organization when it's all over? That's how dumb this is."
"You put them through hell with the promise, right, that the other side is actually going to be worth it. But is it? Um, you know, this is not dignified behavior. In fact, I mean, you're mimicking a lot of the abuse that black people have experienced at the hands of this country, at the hands of white people, and you calling it, you know, a process. This is not a process. It's violence and abuse."
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