That cultural element was brought home to me at OAT when I watch 6 blokes kicking the hell out of a fellow student ripping his clothes punching him to the point of black eyes. By this point a copper who was doing the brush up ground school with us went off down stairs to nick the lot of them. But got stopped by one of the Instructors
Apparently its tradition to get your head kicked in on doing your first solo in some cultures.
Are you kidding? That's terrible if it is as bad as you described.