Re: School stories

On Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:58:20 GMT, [email protected]
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Janet <[email protected]> posted:
>
>> In article <[email protected]>, 
>> [email protected] says...
>> > 
>> > On 2 Apr 2026 19:33:18 GMT, rbowman <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > 
>> > >On Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:33:56 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> Both Kipling and Lewis wrote about Edwardian English public schools.
>> > >> 
>> > >> Lewis also mentioned schools in his fiction, most notably in "The Silver
>> > >> Chair", where he describes authoritarianism in what was ostensibly a
>> > >> libertarian school.
>> > >
>> > >Kipling wrote about the hazing of the younger students by the older ones. 
>> > >In 'Surprised by Joy' Lewis strongly hints there was a sexual element.
>> > 
>> > Lewis doesn't merely hint. He says quite clearly that there was sexual
>> > exploitation at the school he attended. There were not merely
>> > adolescent crushes, but there was systemic exploitation as well. 
>> 
>> 
>>    I'd be surprised if Kilpling used the term hazing,  or was referring 
>> to that American activity.  He was probably talking about  the  
>> different British custom fagging 
>> 
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagging 
>> 
>I agree. The British term for hazing was ragging. It didn't happen at Oxford
>in my time (1961–1967), not at Wadham, anyway; at least, I never heard that
>it did. My sister never reported anything of that sort at St. Andrews. However,
>it did occur in some other universities. 

One major differences is that in American universities the hazing is
in fraternities and sororities where the "actives" haze the "pledges".
There's no hazing in the general student body.

I was in a fraternity (1956-1960) as both a pledge and an active.
("Active" is the term used to describe a fraternity member who has
been initiated into the group.  Prior to initiation, the person is a
pledge.

My hazing included swallowing live goldfish, being paddled, and
suffering various other indignities including an "ice cube race". 

An ice cube race was where the pledges raced across the floor with an
ice cube wedged in the buttocks.  We had to do it several times until
we finally figured out the objective was for all to finish at the same
time rather than one person winning.  Teamwork exercise.

My son was in a fraternity at University of Alabama, but the hazing by
that time was just having to do errands or tasks for the actives.  

My daughter was in a university sorority, but there was no hazing of
any kind.  

I don't think hazing beneficially contributed to my life experience,
but - then - I don't think it contribitued non-beneficially, either.
It was just the way things were at the time.