Imposed Brotherhood

One of the prevailing headlines recently is the unfortunate passing of a first-year law student who apparently died of complications arising from severe physical trauma due to an underlying hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This may have been from either an arrhythmia or a myocardial infarction (less likely). The main point of this post is not to discuss the medical side of this heinous event, but to put in my own two cents on the fraternity issue which overshadows this entire scenario.

 When I was much younger. in high school in fact, we were made to watch this locally made 80's movie entitled "Batch '81" which was centered on the story of an aspiring neophyte and his initiation into a Greek-letter society (aka fraternity, although some fraternities here do not necessarily use Greek letters). I will refrain from reviewing the movie here, as there are a great many more reputable sites that you can turn to for that information.

I guess the point of having us watch the movie was to show us the "horrors" of joining these so-called fraternities, these secretive societies founded on precepts of brotherhood which was forged through a common horrible experience known as "initiations". Another point driven home was the inherent danger of unquestioning loyalty to these organizations which resulted in spats with rival frats, which could then evolve into full-blown criminal activities like homicide and murder, all done in the name of one's fraternity above all else. :(

The initiation rites themselves that were portrayed were pretty brutal, and the physical punishment meted out was likely founded on solid facts based on injuries sustained by hazing victims in real life that were examined postmortem, as well as testimonies from former neophytes.

There was also a chilling example of a fraternity rumble which may or may not have resulted in a fatality or two.. (spoilers much? :P)

Needless to say, my teachers got the message across, as I found the movie to be deeply disturbing which was more than enough to keep me away from fraternities in college.

To be honest, being a part of a fraternity in college never even crossed my mind and I wondered what would convince some people to join. They were perceived as troublemakers more akin to street gangs than honor societies. I have seen evidence of this outside the confines of the university, where fraternity graffiti used to be seen contaminating the walls and gates of our neighborhood alongside what were eventually identified as gang signages. Thank goodness these things are now long gone..

I only knew of a handful of individuals in college who were members, and none whom I knew personally. You would see them congregating at a designated place on campus meeting, scheming and hanging out. While I had no personal interactions or incidents with any of these identified fratmen, they gave off this seedy vibe not unlike what you see among neighborhood toughs or gang members, which was a far cry from the educated university students they were supposed to be. I once had a classmate whose cellphone was stolen by an alleged neophyte in broad daylight which was supposedly part of their initiation. The neophyte probably had no choice but to steal the phone since his "masters" told hin to do so.. Nevertheless, it was a blantantly criminal act, and my classmate never recovered her property. (I guess it would have been a much different deal if it was eventually returned to her by one of the fraternity members, apologizing and explaining that it had been all part of the initiation, but I guess they're not as honorable as we would like them to be)

Initiation? More like on-the-job training if you ask me.. :(

Perhaps my limited exposure to these university-wide fraternities was because I was in the medical field, as I heard that membership was much more rampant in the other courses like engineering and commerce. 

As life went on and I got a little older, I was able to reflect on what would drive someone to join one of these organizations  despite their dubious reputations and shady activities.. Organizations that force you to have absolute loyalty to these other people and have their back regardless of anything they do just because of some twisted manifestation of "brotherhood". It doesn't matter if you would get along with them outside the confines of the frat or not, it doesn't matter kung masama ugali niya and he would seemingly get you into trouble. You're brothers now, and that is all that matters..

At this point some of my more avid readers would point to the fact that I had once attempted to join a fraternity myself when I was in medical school. I promise that we'll get to that later on. Generalities muna tayo.. ;)

A fundamental concept these organizations preach is a true sense of brotherhood (or sisterhood for sororities) which is forged in the fires of a shared traumatic experience (initiations) which had been endured to the end, thus granting the survivor the "elite" status of "fraternity/sorority member" because he/she was able to prove his/her willingness to be a member as well as his/her loyalty to the frat/sor. The initiations would serve to galvanize that trust between neophyte batchmates, as well as provide a sense of solidarity with those that have already gone before (since they supposedly went through the same thing, so, brothers/sisters?). Some of these organizations have such wide membership scopes encompassing different colleges/universities, and some even have community-based chapters (but the latter seem to be more gang-like in their activities)

Admittedly, a mild version of this could be seen in daily life. An example I could draw from would be our personal experience as medical trainees, be it in clerkship, internship, residency, or fellowship. There is this prevailing sense of community with one another since going through training is admittedly a tough experience. Completing a program (and passing the boards) earns you full acceptance among your former trainors-turned-peers, as well as others who have attained the same level. I personally liken the people from my residency program as a kind of family, and I have this desire to help them achieve what I have achieved. Loyalties are not mandatory however, and you have no right to call someone out for being disloyal to a program unless you're being a fanatic and/or a total nutjob. :P

Since the former neophyte is now a full-fledged member with supposedly unbreakable ties to his organization, he could supposedly reap the benefits of being such. In college it would sometimes mean access to old examinations (or even upcoming exams if a prof is a brod.. but hey, isn't that cheating? Oh, they don't give a shit), or even better grades (same principle as before). For the more violent people, it would mean you would have an automatic "resbak" (backup) when you get into a scuffle, which would further embolden the troublemaker since violence is really his thing. Other benefits promised could be aid in securing a job from brods positioned in higher positions, or even government assistance when caught in a pinch (akin to criminals going scot free despite the evidence because they have bribed a judge or someone higher). I can only shake my head in disbelief at this.. I would expect that these organizations would have a code of conduct set up by their founders to prevent abuses, but if you think about it, would you turn your back on a brother who went through hell with you just because of some stupid infraction of some stupid rule written long before by some dude who probably didn't have the absolute same initiation experience anyway (being founders and all)? This dangerous situation is probably why these organizations find it difficult to clean their ranks (if they ever tried at all) and would thus descend into the gang mentality.

Looking back at the histories of fraternities (what follows is NOT Wikipedia gospel truth, since this will be just from my memory of previous researches out of curiosity and discussions with lots of different people), these Greek-letter societies weren't all bad to begin with. In fact, the idea behind them was pretty idealistic. 

Fraternities in US universities started out from a need for companionship. Think about it, the typical college student in the US would be miles away from home, not really knowing anyone (a few friends from high school if he's lucky), and would be struggling to fit into college life. These frats would provide supposedly undying friendship which would be nurtured in school and continued after graduation. They would have all sorts of activities to engage the community as well, and probably serve to make the college experience more richer than it would if you went through it all by your lonesome. A lifetime of benefits in exchange from a temporary agonizing experience.  I heard that it wasn't really that violent in those days, with public humiliation being more of the norm rather than being beaten up black and blue. I won't delve into the state of those US frats nowadays since this would be way off-tangent already, but based on the news I've been reading, it appears as if these Greek-letter societies are now only interested in parties, booze, drugs, and rape.

Fraternities arrived at Philippine shores during colonial times, and I guess the concept was pretty good before as well. The big universities would have enrollees coming from all parts of the archipelago and the Filipino freshman would be alone in the big campus without anyone to turn to. It would be heartbreakingly lonely, and it is human nature to seek out a sense of belonging. That's where the frats would come in. They would promise you lifelong camaraderie, and exclusive benefits that you wouldn't even begin to imagine. All they would ask is for you to undergo their initiation rites, some of which can last for months depending on the by-laws of the organization. It all seems very neat and systematic. So why the hell should anyone have to die?

I would understand that any society promising exclusivity and an elite status would have very stringent requirements for membership. However, the amount of violence that comes associated with these hazing rites is just batshit crazy.. Humiliation is already a very potent tool, as it would bring a person's morale down to the point of giving up. So is making a person do endless exercises to the point of exhaustion (although this would also be deadly if done in the wrong situation). So why would violence be needed? To prove toughness? What for? Is it because violence is also a part of what being in a frat is all about?

The amount of sadism needed to inflict such injuries to a helpless person is just mind-boggling. I imagine a neophyte hunched forward with his pants down enduring hit after hit by a hard wooden paddle or other similar blunt instrument, and I get sick to my stomach.. :(

There have also been stories of girls joining sororities who would get felt up and raped by "masters" from the equivalent fraternity during initiations. These victims do not come forward because they fear for their lives and/or value membership in the organization. :(

They say the purpose of the initiations is to break you down, ego and all, to lose your individuality and hopefully emerge (after much brutality) an absolutely loyal pawn who would put his organization and its members above all else, never mind ethics and basic human decency, because you literally went through hell and back just to get this far.

The adult in me looks back at these college organizations with a tinge of disgust at the audacity and stupidity of youth. It appears as though these are a product of bad, poorly-informed choices made by insecure teens who don't know any better and value a sense of belonging above all else.. Which in turn would speak volumes about that state of families nowadays, but that is a discussion for another time..

Now we move on to the postgraduate fraternities, particularly those in law and medical school..

I would expect that being a part of a fraternity at this level would be less about being all lonely and weepy in school since the studentry is comprised of more mature individuals who have already passed the tumultous years of raging hormones, some of which have already worked for some time before returning for further studies. The reasons would now seem more logical and practical, as will be discussed below.

I'll be dealing with law school first, since I don't really know much about them, and then proceed to the med school stories which will be from personal experience. For my friends/colleagues associated with frats/sors, don't worry, I won't be throwing anyone under the bus here, and I will be respectful as possible. ;)

The law fraternity involved in the latest hazing mortality has already made a name for itself by producing a large number of bar exam passers among its alumni. It's kinda hard to argue with that kind of success. Benefits of being in a law frat includes access to extensive case libraries painstakingly collected through the years, being able to rub elbows with prominent brods (and eventually find employment), and have an unquestionably loyal intellectual to discuss schoolwork with. Ok, I admit I have no idea how law frat benefits work, but I assume it has more a lot more academics and a lot less "bugbugan" associated with it compared to frats in college (although there has been a recent rumble incident (Nov 2016) involving said frat during the bar examinations).

All that being said, I have so idea why they would need to beat the guy black and blue to the point of inducing arrhythmia and/or MI.. :( Bah.. it gets more mind-boggling the more I think about it.. Is this a machismo thing? Gantihan na lang ba? Why start such a tradition in the first place? Bakit ganun? Being someone involved in the care of the sick and dying, it boggles the mind why people would kill an individual who wasn't expected to die anytime soon, and worse, why would he willingly subject himself to that in the first place..

Lastly, is it worth it? I mean, sure, you might get a leg up on another guy when applying for a job at a law firm, or you might get a favorable decision in a case from a judge brod (this last one, I can't wrap my head around.. I thought lawyers were all about fighting for the truth and the rights of the people who can't defend themselves?..).

Talking about lawyers has made me sad.. Let's round up the discussion by talking about med school fraternities..

I'll bet every medical school has its own fraternities and sororities. These organizations are often sanctioned by the administration and are exclusive to students from that  med school, although there are some which have chapters among different schools, but these are the exception rather than the norm..

At last count, there were six fraternities and five sororities in my school of origin, all properly recognized by the school admin. A number of faculty members are frat/sor members themselves, with a number being recognized as the founders of their respective organizations. 

I remember the freshman welcome week, where we were toured around the different areas of the university by the seniors, with each stop handled by a specific organization. It was here where we were approached by the different fraternities to invite us to their group.

Medical school is a much smaller community than the university at large, and it is inevitable that you would see familiar faces from pre-med now sporting the labels of their orgs and inviting you to join them. 

I still had the same apprehensions about joining a frat as once before, but somehow seeing these former org seniors of mine inviting me to join up got me curious.. These were straight-A people, active in the student government, and were generally recognized as good influences, a far cry from the perceived  thuggery that fratboys supposedly indulged in..

After much debate, I finally agreed to attend an orientation of sorts after school hours with a few friends from college. It was well organized and the people were generally comgenial. We were allowed to ask questions (even controversial ones) and were treated kindly, They seemed like a nice bunch, they were as intellectual as I imagined, and now I kinda wanted to be a part of them.. but I guess that was part of the hook to get you in..

The supposed benefits of joining a medical fraternity included joining medical/surgical missions ("tuli" missions for the most part where the aspiring surgeons got their first taste of an actual operation under the guidance of the senior brods), access to old examinations (which were eventually shared with everyone else anyway since most people in medschool wanted to work for the good of the batch anyway), early access to intellectual mentors (senior brods who were residents, consultants), and a cool group of guys to hang with, as well as the associated cool identifying swag like pins, jackets, mugs, stickers, etc.. Some people also claim that fraternity ties are important when looking for residency placement abroad, since there are brods in influential positions in hospitals in the States, a highly-competitive prime destination for those that wish to train elsewhere, but in line with the medical way of doing things, you have to prove yourself by acing the USMLE first (which is a situation where fraternity ties don't matter one bit). I guess fraternity ties could also help in getting residency positions, but based on personal experience, the personal merits, intelligence, and trainability of an applicant would trump any fraternity ties any day in the eyes of a good residency training staff.

Eventually I decided to give frat membership a try, and subject myself to the rigors of initiation in order to become a member. Long story short, I quit after a few days and just contented myself with being a barbarian (fraternity parlance for someone not in a frat). In all honesty, I was never punched, kicked, or hit by any of the frat members in any way. Interestingly, they found ways to make things difficult for you without physically assaulting you, and I was really thankful for that. I remained on friendly terms with those fraternity guys until we parted ways after medical school, especially since most of the guys who came from my batch were already my friends from before. In fact, even the junior fraternity members recognized me as a friend of the frat despite not completing the initiations and becoming a senior brod. I found it a little heartwarming that they considered me as kind of like a "lost brother" and bore no ill will towards me for leaving. :)

I guess the question now is "Do you regret not being part of a frat?" Well, to be honest, I kinda regret missing out on the cool swag. :P The free accommodations at the frathouse would have been nice too, but since I never really had to use a dorm, so it didn't matter. I was invited to a handful of medical missions  despite not being a member, although I kinda stuck out 'coz I wasn't wearing the "official" scrubs. Hehehe :P 

I still had my wide array of friends in medical school, some with frats and sors, others without. Those that did never let their fraternity or sorority ties get in the way of our friendship or our journey towards our medical degrees. Even in clerkship where it was said that fraternity ties had more weight, I honestly didn't notice any difference because the residents I dealt with were trying to be as fair as possible to everyone. I guess I consider myself fortunate (?) to not be in a situation where I would be driven to think that joining a frat would be the only solution, though I find it difficult to imagine how such a situation would come to be.

As far as studies went, I believe that tutoring could only get you so far, and that you're gonna have to go do it by yourself for the most part anyway. Career placement didn't matter, because I wanted to get into a program and stay there based on my own merits and nothing else.

Med school Fraternity life may seem neatly packaged into a fun, exciting experience with lots of opportunities both in and out of school. However, in the end, it all boils down into how well you've studied, how well you're treated your colleagues, seniors, and juniors, and how well you deal with your patients. These are things that you do by yourself, fraternity or no.