Comments - Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Brunty

Grace Calderon

Grace Calderon — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This rests on the principle of ”brotherhood” or bonding of sorts - and has gone crazy.

Jason

Jason — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

It has gone too far. The boundries have been pushed too far. Senior students need to be held more accountable for the their actions. You can bond or be a brotherhood but maiming and humiliating is not on!

Ranita

Ranita — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This is obnoxious! What is wrong with these young people?

Jason

Jason — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I ask myself the same question, often! When I was a kid of their age I wasn’t even considering stuff like this.

Is it the way they are being brought up? Are we just out of touch with teenagers?

If I am out of touch I am happy as I do not ever want to understand how people could think this was fun and a good thing to be doing to a fellow human being.

Puneet

Puneet — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Here they call it Ragging but is sad to see bad parts of Americana exports elsewhere but then it might be the case that it is inside ourselves to delve into the depths of our dark souls and do the worst that we can to our fellow beings.

We are civilized only from the outside.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Puneet, I truly hope that isn’t how many people see. I never want to think about doing the worst to a fellow human being.

How teenagers think nowadays is something I cannot fathom, I can’t begin to think of where their ideas come from.

Jaiyant Cavale

Jaiyant Cavale — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Ragging, Hazing rituals are common in most cultures.. Instead of playing the blame game, one may wonder why hazing actually takes place.. Because the ones that perpetrate have a low self esteem? troubled childhood? anti social personality? The roots lie in the society which teaches children to be strong and prove the strength.. The act of proving manifests in ragging. A bunch of kids who have a really low level of self esteem..

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Being strong and proving strength can be done in many other ways, I cannot understand when people say that someone committed an offence as they were bullied, had low self esteem and so forth. I believe it is just a huge and pathetic cop out.

I am not a professional in the field of kids emotions and why they commit such offences but the bullshit excuses they usually offer are lame and just show they are to cowardly to own up to the crime they committed.

Souransu

Souransu — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This hazing rituals or ragging as we call in India is an integral part of initiation in colleges and universities. Many lost lives, sanity etc. This is not that bad if mundane things are forced to do in the process of hazing. But performing oral sex, beatings and things like that are criminal. In India we have national laws against such behaviour. Would be interesting to know the laws in other parts of Asia.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

There are laws here in Thailand and the Ministry of Education MOE also threatened education institutions with having their licences stripped if these initiation or hazing rituals got out of hand.

I will be interested to see what happens with the lawsuit against the students who caused the burns on the poor student. Also what action the institution takes against them as well.

In Australia you would be expelled. You would be facing a court of law and also a big payout in compensation.

Chandani

Chandani — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Students who commit hazing rites that maim or humiliate someone should face a mandatory jail sentence, and a large fine.

Who is going to report these seniors? This may put a junior’s career in jeopardy. Often the seniors would be sympathetic to their colleagues and would shun the juniors from any help from college notes to guidance to outright harm.

I faced a similar situation when I went to study in Bangalore in India. I was made to do a strip tease in front of male students as a fresher. I had no other option.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

If laws were strong and enforced and people who were humiliated or injured during a hazing knew that something would be done if they report it, then the dangerous and humiliating hazing rituals may decrease.

I agree that if you fall out with seniors you can face a hard time in university but again at what price is being part of the group worth.

You can always find help in some form in university when seeked out, it is how you make your path and not following others.

Suryasnata

Suryasnata — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Ragging is cool as long as it does not involve extreme physical or emotional torture/stress. This helps in breaking the ice between seniors and juniors in a college or university. I have gone through it and I must confess I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helps in bonding too.

Jason

Jason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I agree that some form of an initiation or as in Australia we call ”bastardization”, orentation week can be a lot of fun and can make strong bonds that become helpful at times.

There has to be some sort of a boundry set, a line that people know not to cross.

There is fun and then there is stupidity.