My Take | Our immature university students need counselling ... and punishment
Reports of bullying and even sexual assault in dorm rooms at the prestigious University of Hong Kong are a sad reflection on society as a whole
The University of Hong Kong is constantly in the news these days, but usually for the wrong reasons. The latest has to do with a possible sexual assault and bullying after a video clip was released showing a young man being held down while another one slapped his head with his private parts.
This followed allegations made by a student that some 20 people had stormed into a dormitory room of a student resident and took turns dripping hot wax on his nether regions.
While these events at the city’s oldest and most prestigious university are disturbing enough by themselves, they may not be isolated incidents. In some student online forums, there have been claims that such practices are “hall tradition”. Wax-dripping and organ-slapping are campus tradition? I seriously hope not. Some parents may now have second thoughts about sending their children to study there.
For the sake of simple decency, such behaviour must be condemned. Sadly, some online commentaries from HKU students seem to be unusually accepting. “If you can play along then you’ll treat it as a game, but if you can’t play along you’ll accuse people of bullying,” one post said.
I don’t know about you, but those acts go beyond mere bullying.