Why Do Men Humiliate Each Other for Fun?
From boys on a playground to soldiers on the battlefield, these interactions serve a deeper purpose
My friend group enjoys playing cards. To raise the stakes, we usually impose a forfeit for the loser. Money quickly loses its appeal, so these forfeits almost always end up being something physical.
The other weekend, after a particularly long game of Black Ball, a loser was declared and the winner picked the punishment: each of the other 7 players would slap the loser on the ass. The rule was made worse — at least for the loser — when a caveat was added that made it so you can only slap as hard or harder than the person before you…
Everyone was going full throttle by about the 3rd turn.
Fortunately, I did quite well that round, so was not the recipient of this abuse. The person who lost however was someone I only just met that night. Before this, we had only spoken a few words. By the end of the round, we were good friends with a funny story.
Was it humiliating to be bent over a chair while 7 guys — some strangers, some good friends, and one sibling — slap your ass as hard as they can? Absolutely.
But the unspoken truth remained: He set aside this humiliation for the sake of the…
