“Happy Corner”, an extremely popular game among university students, consists of lifting a person up by all fours and repeatedly banging their crotch against a lamp pole, the corner of a desk, or anything painful. Really. Ouch!
The game has gotten so popular that a hall warden at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently felt compelled to ban the game. This was reportedly due to noise complaints and the fear that the chosen pole may sustain structural damage during the game, posing a “potential threat” to passersby.
Here’s an example of Happy Cornering:
“The pole could collapse in any moment under forceful and repeated banging,” wrote Robert Qi in a letter that went viral, reports Oriental Daily. “Fatal injury is possible if someone is being hit [sic] head on by the collapsed pole.”
(He is not concerned about these young students’ family jewels, evidently.)
The game is often played to celebrate male students’ birthdays or “chut pool” (Cantonese slang for getting into a relationship, i.e. “exiting the dating pool”).
The game, as expected, often becomes a loud, boisterous affair.
Qi said that residents who are “found participating in the action” will be punished with a minimum of a two-week suspension.
The email warning proved to be controversial among hall residents, with some bewildered at the warden’s apparent lack of confidence in the lamp poles’ structural integrity, and others concerned about his over-confidence in the strength of students’ crotches.
“The one who is being ‘Happy Cornered’ will get hurt way before the lamp pole falls down,” wrote one resident.
“If Happy Corner can actually cause the poles to collapse, then why don’t the light poles fall during typhoons?” asked another.
Some residents mourned the disappearance of a part of HKUST hall residents’ collective memory.
An HKUST spokesperson stated that the university encourages students to organise various forms of fun activities in their residence halls, with guidelines on safety, noise levels, and respect.
He further added that the hall wardens are allowed to deal with the situation if any residents offend the rules.
Thank goodness! Otherwise we’d be walking around the HKUST campus worrying about poles falling our heads after succumbing to the crotch power of university students.
Photo: hk.on.cc
