Students burned in branding caper

arkitect · Oct 27, 2009, 12:06 PM

Of all the stupid things students do this takes the cake.

Quote:

Fifteen university students have been permanently scarred after branding themselves with heated coat hangers.

The group from the University of Exeter branded their chests with the initial of the halls they lived in last year.

A reshaped metal coat hanger was heated on a stove before being pressed against the participants' flesh for 10 seconds.

Following the private house party last month, three of the branded students were treated in hospital and given antibiotics to fight infections.

A burns specialist has warned the students will have permanent scarring.

BBC

yg17 · Oct 27, 2009, 12:14 PM

Back in my day, we had required calculus classes to weed out the idiots.

ucfgrad93 · Oct 27, 2009, 12:26 PM

Dumb thing to do.

Consultant · Oct 27, 2009, 12:43 PM

Haha. Fail.

Too bad they don't qualify for Darwin awards.

edesignuk · Oct 27, 2009, 12:47 PM

This branding thing is weird. I remember seeing a programme about it, how people are branding themselves rather than getting tattoos, crazy people I tell ya!

poopyhead · Oct 27, 2009, 12:52 PM

This isn't that uncommon.
I went to a party as an undergrad where people did the same thing.
It was a first tier university and no one there was by any means an idiot--just 18, drunk, and free of parental control for the first time.

AhmedFaisal · Oct 28, 2009, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poopyhead

This isn't that uncommon.
I went to a party as an undergrad where people did the same thing.
It was a first tier university and no one there was by any means an idiot--just 18, drunk, and free of parental control for the first time.

Quite a few idiots make it to first tier schools. Either they have filthy rich parents paying their way (Dubya comes to mind) often with legacy status greasing the wheels as well, or they are on athletics scholarships.
Cheers,

Ahmed

poopyhead · Oct 28, 2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AhmedFaisal

Quite a few idiots make it to first tier schools. Either they have filthy rich parents paying their way (Dubya comes to mind) often with legacy status greasing the wheels as well, or they are on athletics scholarships.
Cheers,

Ahmed

many people with filthy rich parents but it is one of the few schools with no real athletics and where legacy status does not matter when applying

in fact we've been "undefeated since 1836" because we've never played

mscriv · Oct 28, 2009, 10:32 AM

The "will have permanent scarring" part of the story is funny. Um, yeah! The whole point of branding to leave a permanent scar in the shape of the brand. I know a guy who did it to himself with a couple of friends in high school. Truly, the practice is not some extremely rare thing in that some varieties of college fraternities practice it with regularity. Though I haven't done it myself and wouldn't consider doing it the truth is branding is really no different than any other form of body art. The problem is people who don't do their research and don't seek appropriate medical attention.

andiwm2003 · Oct 28, 2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mscriv

The "will have permanent scarring" part of the story is funny. Um, yeah! The whole point of branding to leave a permanent scar in the shape of the brand. I know a guy who did it to himself with a couple of friends in high school. Truly, the practice is not some extremely rare thing in that some varieties of college fraternities practice it with regularity. Though I haven't done it myself and wouldn't consider doing it the truth is branding is really no different than any other form of body art. The problem is people who don't do their research and don't seek appropriate medical attention.

there are also some tribes that do branding in africa. so although it's stupid to do this in that context and with coat hangers, branding itself is a valid cultural phenomenon.

i wouldn't do it to myself and certainly not with a coat hangar. that's really stupid.

RedTomato · Oct 28, 2009, 01:45 PM

It is possible they used closed loops in the design. It's my understanding that with branding and scarification, you don't want to have closed loops, as the skin in the middle has a higher risk of dying off or getting infected through lack of blood supply / lymph drainage / other things I don't know about.

Getting drunk before doing it would also suppress the auto-immune system and raise the risk of infection. Poor after-care would be a factor too.

All in all, I don't think hospital treatment was really warranted, but then I wasn't there.

stridemat · Oct 28, 2009, 01:47 PM

The leaders of tomorrow......

arkitect · Oct 28, 2009, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stridemat

The leaders of tomorrow......

I doubt we'll be hearing Paxman telling them to "come on!" very soon…

yoppie · Oct 28, 2009, 01:51 PM

There are a few fraternities at my school whose members brand themselves. Crazy.

savoirfaire · Oct 28, 2009, 03:43 PM

I'm not sure branding is that different from tattooing or piercing. They clearly knew what they were getting into, and all of them involve risk of infection.

andiwm2003 · Oct 28, 2009, 04:42 PM

coat hanger are usually low quality metal that is prone to have contaminants that you might be allergic to. this makes then for extra deep and wide scars. if you want a branding scar let a pro in a good tatoo shop do it. looks certainly much nicer afterwards. also you're not likely to be drunk like that when you do it.

mscriv · Oct 28, 2009, 04:58 PM

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yeah but,

sober + branding = pain

drunk + branding = fun with a nice surprise after you wake up

jaw04005 · Oct 28, 2009, 05:18 PM

Well, at least they didn’t try it with plastic hangers. There’s some hope for them.

cantthinkofone · Oct 28, 2009, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yg17

Back in my day, we had required calculus classes to weed out the idiots.

Before i make my comment, what house were you in?

BrianKonarsMac · Oct 28, 2009, 05:46 PM

really, this is news?

Yes, students are stupid - especially when there are copious amounts of liquor and drugs involved.

rdowns · Oct 28, 2009, 05:53 PM

Nobody listens to their mothers anymore.

chris200x9 · Oct 28, 2009, 08:57 PM

what idiots, seriously branding?

iSaint · Oct 28, 2009, 10:04 PM

Very common among black male fraternities in the US.

jjvdhoef · Oct 30, 2009, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andiwm2003

there are also some tribes that do branding in africa. so although it's stupid to do this in that context and with coat hangers, branding itself is a valid cultural phenomenon.

i wouldn't do it to myself and certainly not with a coat hangar. that's really stupid.

Just because some culture does it, doesn't make it "valid". India has a caste system, but that doesn't make it ok.

savoirfaire · Oct 30, 2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjvdhoef

Just because some culture does it, doesn't make it "valid". India has a caste system, but that doesn't make it ok.

You're getting into a separate discussion about ethics and/or morality. I don't think andiwm2003 was saying that branding is "ok" in general. I think he/she was simply saying that there are cultural traditions of branding and that, in some cases, the practice carries some cultural significance. Obviously, that does not apply in this case.

Oct 27, 2009, 12:14 PM	#2
yg17 macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO	Back in my day, we had required calculus classes to weed out the idiots. __________________ 2.66 GHz quad core Mac Pro 13" Unibody MacBook 2.4 GHz 16GB iPhone 3G

Oct 27, 2009, 12:26 PM	#3
ucfgrad93 macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Colorado	Dumb thing to do. __________________ 2.4 20" aluminum iMac - August 2007 2.2 15" MacBook Pro - January 2008 8GB 1G iPhone - January 2008 Motorola Q9 Global - November 2008

Oct 27, 2009, 12:43 PM	#4
Consultant macrumors 601 Join Date: Jun 2007	Haha. Fail. Too bad they don't qualify for Darwin awards. __________________ Apple User Art \| Celebs with Macs \| Mac: Power Users \| Tech Humor

Oct 27, 2009, 12:47 PM	#5
edesignuk Demi-God (Moderator emeritus) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Great(?) Britain	This branding thing is weird. I remember seeing a programme about it, how people are branding themselves rather than getting tattoos, crazy people I tell ya! __________________ Search before you post: MRoogle **Better BBC Search**

Oct 28, 2009, 10:32 AM	#9
mscriv macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Dallas, Texas	The "will have permanent scarring" part of the story is funny. Um, yeah! The whole point of branding to leave a permanent scar in the shape of the brand. I know a guy who did it to himself with a couple of friends in high school. Truly, the practice is not some extremely rare thing in that some varieties of college fraternities practice it with regularity. Though I haven't done it myself and wouldn't consider doing it the truth is branding is really no different than any other form of body art. The problem is people who don't do their research and don't seek appropriate medical attention. __________________ I'm a professional counselor. If I deem our forum interaction to be professional in nature then I will bill you. Prompt payment is expected.

Oct 27, 2009, 12:52 PM	#6
poopyhead macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: in the toe-jam of greatness (Fort Worth)	This isn't that uncommon. I went to a party as an undergrad where people did the same thing. It was a first tier university and no one there was by any means an idiot--just 18, drunk, and free of parental control for the first time.

Oct 28, 2009, 01:45 PM	#11
RedTomato macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: .. London ..	It is possible they used closed loops in the design. It's my understanding that with branding and scarification, you don't want to have closed loops, as the skin in the middle has a higher risk of dying off or getting infected through lack of blood supply / lymph drainage / other things I don't know about. Getting drunk before doing it would also suppress the auto-immune system and raise the risk of infection. Poor after-care would be a factor too. All in all, I don't think hospital treatment was really warranted, but then I wasn't there. __________________ There was a signature here, but now there isn't. But there is now.

Oct 28, 2009, 01:47 PM	#12
stridemat macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Plymouth, UK	The leaders of tomorrow...... __________________ matthewstride.co.uk Search before you post: MRoogle

Oct 28, 2009, 01:51 PM	#14
yoppie macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2007	There are a few fraternities at my school whose members brand themselves. Crazy. __________________ Search before you post:MRoogle

Oct 28, 2009, 03:43 PM	#15
savoirfaire macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2003	I'm not sure branding is that different from tattooing or piercing. They clearly knew what they were getting into, and all of them involve risk of infection.

Oct 28, 2009, 04:42 PM	#16
andiwm2003 macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Boston, MA	coat hanger are usually low quality metal that is prone to have contaminants that you might be allergic to. this makes then for extra deep and wide scars. if you want a branding scar let a pro in a good tatoo shop do it. looks certainly much nicer afterwards. also you're not likely to be drunk like that when you do it.

Oct 28, 2009, 04:58 PM	#17
mscriv macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Dallas, Texas	^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yeah but, sober + branding = pain drunk + branding = fun with a nice surprise after you wake up __________________ I'm a professional counselor. If I deem our forum interaction to be professional in nature then I will bill you. Prompt payment is expected.

Oct 28, 2009, 05:18 PM	#18
jaw04005 macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: AR	Well, at least they didn’t try it with plastic hangers. There’s some hope for them.

Oct 28, 2009, 05:46 PM	#20
BrianKonarsMac macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2004	really, this is news? Yes, students are stupid - especially when there are copious amounts of liquor and drugs involved. __________________ I'll save you the time of reading about all of my Mac Hardware and just tell you my .... is bigger than yours.

Oct 28, 2009, 05:53 PM	#21
rdowns macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jul 2003	Nobody listens to their mothers anymore.

Oct 28, 2009, 08:57 PM	#22
chris200x9 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2006	what idiots, seriously branding? __________________ Super Happy Joy Joy Fun Time <--------- Forums hosted on FreeBSD, from my room!

Oct 28, 2009, 10:04 PM	#23
iSaint macrumors 601 Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Mississippi y'all, near the water!	Very common among black male fraternities in the US. __________________ Not Applicable

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