Initiation Ceremonies

[Hillonearth]

2 hours ago, BigFatTabbyDave said:

^^^ Desperate to find out what went on after hours at the local ludge IMO.

I worked with a former infantryman who liked to tell us about their weird activities. A lot of it seemed to revolve around finding excuses to exchange saliva - passing items around using only their mouths, etc.

Is this just a thing that guys do? Do the Women's Institute play games involving the storage of items within their ladyparts, or crush cans for recycling using only their knockers?

Yeah - leave it to the army to consistemtly plumb the depths of behaviour. I remember a guy I know who'd been in the engineers telling me about a game they used to play in the aptly named mess somewhere in Germany a while back.

Basically get a round in with one pint too many.  Somebody curls one out in the extra pint , everybody does their pint in a oner. Last one to finish has to neck the jobby-befouled one as well.

I can see why they started a charity called Help for Heroes - some of them fucking need it.

[BFTD]

I'm starting to regret reading this thread  

[ICTChris]

These rituals obviously serve a purpose of bringing people into a group - you show you are willing to humiliate yourself in front of your mates, you show that you understand that you are part of something bigger and that has a tradition beyond you.

These rituals are obviously also an opportunity to bully and humiliate people and they will attract people who are like that. I've found a lot of the 'lads, lads, lads' type just relish being c***s to people and claim that it's just 'banter'.

Also, Not everyone is suited to these sorts of things, certainly I wouldn't want to take part. I know people who didn't play rugby at University because of these sorts of things, despite being excellent schoolboy players.

[ICTChris]

Also, the non-Marine guy who took part looks like he just hangs around nightclubs on his own, looking for people to pee on

 

 

[carpetmonster]

Also, the non-Marine guy who took part looks like he just hangs around nightclubs on his own, looking for people to pee on
 

 

He's got a bit of the Motherwell sister-pumper about him

[The Equalizer]

One of my old gaffers was a combat medic in the first gulf war. He told me a story about how they saw an old land mine on the perimeter of the camp one day. Of the four that were there one was recently deployed. The other 3 pulled rank on him and told him to go and disable it. So picture this... he's crawling on his belly towards this land mine with a knife between his teeth, sweating bullets and terrified . When he's a few feet away his C.O walks up from behind him and kicks the thing out of the dirt. It was a paint tin lid they put there earlier.

[Shotgun]

3 hours ago, ICTChris said:

These rituals obviously serve a purpose of bringing people into a group - you show you are willing to humiliate yourself in front of your mates, you show that you understand that you are part of something bigger and that has a tradition beyond you.

These rituals are obviously also an opportunity to bully and humiliate people and they will attract people who are like that. I've found a lot of the 'lads, lads, lads' type just relish being c***s to people and claim that it's just 'banter'.

Also, Not everyone is suited to these sorts of things, certainly I wouldn't want to take part. I know people who didn't play rugby at University because of these sorts of things, despite being excellent schoolboy players.

I'm sure a psychologist could explain to us why so many groups which pride themselves on their "manliness", the military, athletes, college fraternities and the like, seem to be the most enthusiastic when it comes to acts of homo-erotic humiliation. I also wonder how many of the participants in these "ceremonies" are also homophobes. The cynic in me suspects, it's more than a few.

[Romeo]

Cant think of any scarier initiation ceremony  than the one which is the prelude to being proclaimed husband & wife !

The one we're your wife promises to take most of your money and suddenly go off blow jobs?

[TheProgressiveLiberal]

Why would they get kicked out of the military for that?

[banana]

Totally understandable and 'healthy' behaviour from a grouping, bonding, psychological perspective, especially in dangerous/gruelling situations. As long as there is consent for anything OTT, and opt out possibility (with the associated casting out of the group that could follow) @ICTChris hit much of it.

More widely, we could do with better and more cultural rites of passage. Right now we have what - first day at school, your first legal pint, maybe graduation if you're academically inclined, wedding. If you're religious, I suppose rites of passage are something it gets right in theory if not always in practice.

Been thinking quite a bit about doing things for the nippers in this respect, to get some family rites going at different ages. Scaling Schiehallion. Deer hunt. Solo camp and hike home. Boxing match. Pogo n Pull in The Garage. All in same weekend.

[ICTChris]

13 minutes ago, banana said:

Totally understandable and 'healthy' behaviour from a grouping, bonding, psychological perspective, especially in dangerous/gruelling situations. As long as there is consent for anything OTT, and opt out possibility (with the associated casting out of the group that could follow) @ICTChris hit much of it.

More widely, we could do with better and more cultural rites of passage. Right now we have what - first day at school, your first legal pint, maybe graduation if you're academically inclined, wedding. If you're religious, I suppose rites of passage are something it gets right on theory of not always in practice.

 

I don't think pissing on people or ramming things up their arses are acceptable.  The difficulty is that people who are c***s will take advantage of initiations and rites of passage to express their cuntitude.  

I think that stag nights and what was discussed on the other thread about 'blackening' counts as a rites of passage.  Again, often used by dreadful people as an excuse to act like an arsehole.

Quote

Been thinking quite a bit about doing things for the nippers in this respect, to get some family rites going at different ages. Scaling Schiehallion. Deer hunt. Solo camp and hike home. Boxing match. Pogo n Pull in The Garage. All in same weekend.

Deer Hunter initiation?

 

[ICTChris]

Earlier this year I went to see Raw, a French horror film.  It features a young student attending veterinary school who is forced to go through numerous initiations, including eating raw rabbit kidney.

 

Here's Kermode reviewing it, I loved it - reminded me of trying to fit in at University, although I never ate anyone when I was there.

 

[banana]

23 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I don't think pissing on people or ramming things up their arses are acceptable.  The difficulty is that people who are c***s will take advantage of initiations and rites of passage to express their cuntitude.  

I think that stag nights and what was discussed on the other thread about 'blackening' counts as a rites of passage.  Again, often used by dreadful people as an excuse to act like an arsehole.

Reading those, I suppose by rite of passage I'm talking about gaining some experience doing something, some goal, some end achievement, something to be proud of, rather than just humiliation. Acting rather than being acted upon.

Epic deer hunt twist 

[throbber]

7 hours ago, Shotgun said:

I'm sure a psychologist could explain to us why so many groups which pride themselves on their "manliness", the military, athletes, college fraternities and the like, seem to be the most enthusiastic when it comes to acts of homo-erotic humiliation. I also wonder how many of the participants in these "ceremonies" are also homophobes. The cynic in me suspects, it's more than a few.

Its all just a front to be seen as the most fearless of all the alpha males in the room, and theres nothing that puts you more out of your comfort zone than having something stuck up your arse in front of a group of men or having to drink a pint quicker than the others in the group whilst facing the risk of drinking a pint with a freshly laid jobby inside the glass. Marines/army types are the most extreme due to the extreme position they are in at work which is actually life or death, so they don't want to be seen as having any fear when put in difficult situations. Rugby types still want to be seen as physical and fearless in group situations due to the nature of their sport, if they are seen as being shy and backing out of these sort of initiations then they may become scapegoated in the team and picked on for being weak. You see this sort of behaviour on building sites as well to a lesser degree, guys trying to prove they can lift the heaviest objects, guys screaming like wild bears just to get attention and the occasional jobby in someones hard hat just to prove to others they are there to be respected etc. Then to an even lesser degree still, guys who are into football soaking their team mates with cold water from a hose when they are in the showers after a game. It's all just for show. 

[ICTChris]

Do wild bears scream?

[KnightswoodBear]

2 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

Do wild bears scream?

I stubbed my toe on the TV stand the other day.  I let out more of a howl.  I was fucking livid. 

[Shandon Par]

My rugby initiation was to be jumped by the u16/18 team when I was about 14. Ripped my pants off from under my trousers and gave me a good few punches etc. Had a good fumble with the ringleader's girlfriend a few weeks later one night down The Glen so no harm done. 

[ICTChris]

1 minute ago, KnightswoodBear said:

I stubbed my toe on the TV stand the other day.  I let out more of a howl.  I was fucking livid. 

You should be wearing shoes or slippers. 

[The OP]

I'd imagine some of these things are designed to bond you more closely and get you to believe in an otherwise pointless cause. I'm thinking more of grueling rites of passage to join a gang or become a marine than being a rugby w**k playing unfunny practical jokes. If you've had to go through something grueling to get in you're likely to take your membership more seriously. 

Same probably even goes for fraternities/sororities - you're less likely to believe it's a daft meaningless club if you had to go through something to get in. 

[throbber]

24 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

Do wild bears scream?

The construction workers i know aspire to make a noise like a wild bear but it comes out as more of a scream as they are not as alpha male as they would like to be, otherwise they would be in the marines.