I learned in my undergrad psych class that the pledge system in frats is about cognitive dissonance. The theory is if you destroy your body and soul to pledge a fraternity, you will forever be convinced it was worth it. In order to not regret going through the agony of pledging, you convince yourself that you really, really love—like super love—your new frat.
I have often wondered if immigration lawmakers have modeled their policies on those of fraternities. I have a sneaking suspicion that the people high up in the immigration ladder want to make sure that all those foreigners really, really want to come to America, so they make it ridiculously hard to get here.