High School Initiation

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Aeron

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I recently read about some apparently brutal initiation practices at Parktown Boys on IOL and it got me wondering about initiation as a whole. When I had initiation at school, I really didn't think much of it and I still don't. Being a senior's plaything just for the sake of it doesn't rank high on my list of priorities.

However, the initiation practices at that school border on the abusive, with older boys beating up younger boys with various utensils (sticks, golf clubs, etc), oldschool style. I think that's bull****. The only tradition I see here is one of violence belonging in society. And with violence being somewhat of an issue here in SA, I don't think that's a message we want carried over to the next generation.

What do you think? Are you in favour of initiation, does physical violence in initiation serve a purpose or is initiation an archaic tradition that should have died long ago?
 
"Tradition" can only be good things. Why make something like beating the **** outta someone a tradition?

Im pro initiation, but dont take it to far, rather dont touch the students, there must be some better form of initiation. Cause what is the point of it? To just about kill everyone?
Use some common sense, dont take things to far.
 
Yeah that kind of initiation is nonesense. No need for that in todays times. Kid might pull out a guns and go postal on the whole school.
 
I'm pro initiation as well. My school had a sortof controlled initiation program for the standard 6's - there may have been some minor embarrasment in some cases, but nothing like complete humiliation.

And while the matrics were expected to order the brats around - there were of course things they weren't allowed to ask/do, and there was a time limit.

Over after the first month.
 
When we were in std6, we were "initiated" to a small extent. When we reached matric, initiation was taken out because of the previous year.. And then when they saw that the std6's of that year turned out to be complete sob's they reinstated it the next year when we had left. How unfair is that? lol
 
Initiation fosters a sort of unity, a "band of brothers" if you will. You go through it together and feel a sense of achievement coming out the other end. If you choose not to do it you may be victimised by your peers later on, which could be a worse fate.

But perhaps physical initiation is taken too far. Embarrassment, humiliation and hard toil are all part of what can be a growing experience; but being physically harmed does push the boundaries.
 
initiation at school is just another way of giving kids the right to bully its retarded to say the least, I have never been fond of it always considered it to be childish acts.
 
Really... did IQ's drop sharply while I was away?
Initiation is a terrible thing to put anyone through. Its nothing more than bullying.
 
Kimosabe said:
Really... did IQ's drop sharply while I was away?
Initiation is a terrible thing to put anyone through. Its nothing more than bullying.
Click to expand...

I disagree ... and I'm saying this as someone who went through it.

There just have to be clearly defined boundaries of what is permitted and what isn't. And people should stick to those boundaries.

As soon as actual bullying is involved then its a no-no.
 
Yea ours was two days ... and hardly anything to write home about :

stringing a 2l Coke bottle and pretending it to be your dog
Gym shorts worn over your school pants
Wearing a sock on your hand and only speaking through it to matrics
Barking at tree's etc
 
Well let me state my initiation experience:

First of all you dont get your school tie and blazer untill initiation is over (+- 1.5 weeks)
You sleep at the school one the first saturday night of grade 8 (which is quite fun)
Go to a dance thing with our "sister school" but you are pretty much forced to eat garlic before hand, so that you stink.
You carry a brick around and you may have to make your brick (who has a name) do tricks/ perform cpr on it/ convince it to move/ make it bark.
You have a placard on at all times outta class with your name, nickname, sports you will take part in, and a pic of your sister or female cousin (it is a boys school after all)
And attend "sing songs" 3 or 4 times where besides learning and practicing school songs, you get soaked by the matrics and their water guns, and run a few laps around the athletics field.
Initiation over: You can now wear your tie and blazer
 
I went through mild initiation at school but I do think that it is quite useless. Why can't you let people be? Why is there a need to embarrass other people? It's just a legalised form of bullying thought up by the "jocks" of the school who have achieved nothing at life (except first team sports) who feel a need to feel like they have achieved something. Power in the wrong hands is stupid.
 
Personally, I feel that initiation are taken by those who feel that they need to be part of the crowd. I was at school to learn stuff, so I generally ignored all that rubbish. Ever had a 6 foot matric basically begging you to drag a log around on a string, very funny. Hey Colin, do you remember that ?
 
Mi initiation was more of a mental abusing cause they made us do all kinda embarrasing things and kept on "kraaking ons op" so yea at schools like Bois high,Bishops etc they use physical abusement too (but not as bad as that school you're referring too)
 
At all-boy schools, the innitiation involves either bending over, or going on your knees... :p
 
@morgoth. Don't you mean "buk en maak 'n affie vriend"? :D

Initiation has a simple purpose, it's like natural selection: Survivial of the fittest. Because it's usually them little okes that get all the heat, the poor nerds who can't fight for themselves. **** up the weak, build on the strong and create a perfect world. Idealistic, but slightly Nazi.

Today, initiation is just used as way of telling new kids who's the boss and who's the minion. And it's only a tradition because people hated it so much when it was done to them, the only way they can release that is by doing it to others small ones. The reason given is usually: "It was done to us, we'll do it to others." Pure genius.

There is one argument actually for initiation. And it's that it teaches the newcomers "respect" for the matrics and the school. However, if abuse is necessary to teach them respect, that school, along with its matrics, have long lost anything deserving of respect.
 
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