One would want to remember his school years as one filled with excitement, fun and laughter and not one which is dull and boring. It is this mentality that drives many students to carry out pranks in an attempt to lighten the monotonous school atmosphere. However, where do you draw a line as to when a prank has been taken too far?
Streaking, an activity where students would run across streets clad in their most intimate apparel or nothing at all, has been an “unofficial” tradition for many graduating batches of students. The idea of streaking is usually associated with schools from other countries however streaking has also taken place in Singapore too. Recently, National University of Singapore (NUS) has been infamous for the streaking incident that took place. It involved a group of Year One students running across naked from one dormitory to another. The students were a sign of victory as they had earlier found out that they had won the inter-house championships. However, is this act of exhibitionism a form of creative expressions or simply one of rebelliousness?
Many have differing opinions on this issue, with some praising the teenagers for their courage, while others condemning the school for not punishing the students involved in the activity. However, the latter is proven otherwise as NUS has decided to expel the students involved from their own hostel and banning them from seeking place at other hostels. Contrary to popular beliefs, I do not find streaking as an immoral act. It is understandable that since Singapore is a conservative society, many express disgust for the act. However, we need to view the NUS incident in context and the right spirit. People should start realizing that streaking does not necessarily carry any sexual meaning to it. The boys stripped in celebration of a victory, therefore their nudity definitely we not presented in a sexually threatening way. Instead they should view it as a freedom of expression, youthful daring and sheer fun.
Also, the fact that the incident took place at the wee hours, specifically at 4am, decreases the severity of the issue. In addition, it took place at a university campus, somewhere not in the public’s eyes where per say more terrible things could happen such as children witnessing the act. The school should realize that the fundamentals of living in a hostel are for the students to learn on how to live peacefully with everyone else in the community. Therefore, what message is the school sending out if their first reaction to misdemeanor is simply to expel the students involved from their hostels? Hence, I feel that school could have come up with a better punishment for the students such as community work, instead of dishing out expulsion at every time a misdemeanor that takes place.
