[captain_price7]

We have something called Cadet College here in Bangladesh (grade 7-12), and British public schools were I think the primary inspiration behind them (actually first few principals were all British). It was just as brutal as you say, if not more.

But the attitude of "ex-cadets" here is that of extreme pride, many consider it to be the best 6 years of their life. And this feeling is almost universal.

I have now several times come across criticism of British public schools by their own alumni, I wonder why there's so much difference in attitude.

[nyolfen]

it reminds me of an episode of a podcast i was listening to recently about somebody who grew up in a tough area with other people who experienced violence and difficult circumstances, and while there he had no emotional issues and simply pushed everything down; but once he moved to a 'nice' (american middle class) college and people heard about what he had experienced and felt sorry for him, he suddenly developed symptoms of ptsd. i think our individual response to circumstances can largely be shaped by what is normal around us.