Thursday, September 20, 2012

What’s all the Hubbub? Skandal w salezjańskim gimnazjum


What do you see when you look at this picture?
Something good?
Something bad?
Something fun?
This is a picture from the initiation party for the newbies at one Catholic middle school in Lubin. Here we can see kocenia (from kot – cat) in which kids (here, girls, but boys also participated) are chosen to lick whipped cream from the knees of the school’s principal, who also happens to be a priest. There are plenty of pictures out there, but I chose one that has the faces blurred. Judgments aside, from the pictures I saw on the news and on the internet, the kids seem to be laughing and having a good time. 
The scandal erupted when some parents saw pictures such as these on the school’s webpage. The school has since removed them and has said that they do this every year, it has never been a problem before and that it was done in the spirit of good fun.
One of my students told me that they did the same at camp when he was about 10 years old. He and the other kids had to lick honey and dirt from the legs of one of the camp supervisors. He said it was a lot of fun and that we should keep in mind that it is often the kids who think up these initiation games, not the teachers.
Lick something off of an adult? Jeez, when I was in school we just made the newbies clean up the school cafeteria. I didn’t know that there was so much more fun to be had.
Personally, I think it is disgusting and inappropriate and I question the judgment of all adults present.
But that’s just me.

9 comments:

Stardust said...

Well, then is two of us. I think the same. Kids licking anything off the body of adult is disgusting in my book.

Anonymous said...

As a kid I've participated in some "rituals" like this when I was on a sailing camp - it was a mini verson of sailor's baptism (I dont'know if I use correct expression - it's an old tradition celebrated on vessels until today for the sailors who cross the equator for the first time and basically they have to do many difficult and disguistung things). In my case one of the tasks was to kiss Prozerpina's knee (Neptun's wife) covered with some disguisting mixture of mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar and mud. As Prozerpina was acting one of older boys dressed up as an ugly woman and it was really fun. But I've never ever heard of any situation like this when an adult is involved in such a "game" with kids! I think that whoever allowed this should have never became a teacher. I really want to believe that intentions were good but it came out very very inappropriate.
I really like your blog! :)

Kasia said...

And the smile on the priest's face - very creepy!!! I was disgusted when I read it in GW yesterday.

Donna said...

Disgusting? It's perverted, whatever the intentions were.

Zofia Mk said...

the more the merrier... I feel the whole situation is definitely disgusting... And what the hell do they think they're doing - they're priests (or monks or whoever), 'kocenie' and other stupid rituals shouldn't find a place especially in their kinds of school IMO. And I do agree, the look on this priest's face is creepy, pervert and, oh c'mon, I feel like vomiting when I look at him.

czarownica said...

Not disgusting. Simply sick, bueeeee.

Chris said...

Star - I knew you'd agree that it is gross. BTW thanks for all the US election news :)

Anon - I teach a former sailor and he says that his sailor's baptism involved a prostitute ;) I agree that kids funny games should be for the kids, not the adults. As you said, it could have just come out all wrong but even if it was the kids' idea, an adult should have told them that it isn't a good idea. I cannot remember any incidents in school of our teachers ever even touching us, so licking for me is way beyond my comfort zone. Oh, and thanks for the compliment of my blog :)

Kasia - That's what Misiu said.

Donna - A psychologist on TV said yesterday that we don't need to hear from the parents, kids or the teacher(s). She said that the photos (there are a lot)spark a gut reaction in us and that's what we should trust. I am inclined to agree with you and her, perverted.

Zofia - Creepy, definitely creepy. And now I no longer wonder what priest wear under their robes - old WF shorts, black socks and old klapki plastikowe.

czar - Puts you off your morning coffee, doesn't it?

Malgosia said...

Unbelievable. His career as a priest should be over. Really disgusting....

Chris said...

Or at least his career involving children.