 |
Halfsheet, "We Want Blood" poster from 1912, which is an example of a class rivalry or hazing poster from that era
. The poster, issued by the "illustrious class of 1915," challenges freshmen to appear on "MORGUE SATURDAY, Oct. 5, 1912" for their "sanguinary destruction".
This type of aggressive rhetoric was common in college hazing materials during a period when hazing-related deaths were increasing, leading to public and institutional crackdowns. The poster's language, which includes insults and threats, is characteristic of the "pennalism" or mild oppression of first-year students that had been practiced for centuries and became increasingly severe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. |
|
|
