Was Ancient Greek Education a Rape institution?

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This is something I have come across recently and I don't think this should necessarily be controversial. I am starting to think that Ancient Greek schools and Palaestras existed in such a way as to rape and take advantage of vulnerable Greek children and men.

Around the time of the 3rd Century BC, it was common for Greeks in aristocratic households to start their schooling at the age of 7 in academic institutions. From then on it was common for them to be flogged by teachers all the whilst receiving an education and being taught literacy.

Many Greeks children or teens would then go on to be taught at Palestras where they would learn to exercise and wrestle. At these places, it is well known that they fought naked. And from this, young children were arguably placed in a situation where they were exposed and left vulnerable to harm by their peers. From this, we see a clear power dynamic, firstly young children have fear and control exerted over them and they are then being thrust into a situation where they are left exposed and vulnerable.

And if this wasn't enough these very same institutions contain artwork and mosaics glorifying pederasty both casually and approvingly depicting it. To me, this sends a very clear cut message, not only was this practice accepted but it was normalized as to become an experience someone would face under this system.

This comes in addition to the philosophers like Plutarch praising this practice. In fact, Plato's dialogue, Symposium both discusses and praises pedophilia. During this extract, Pasanius praises it as the ideal relationship. And it is even suggested that so-called "virtuous" and "wise" men are deserving of receiving it.

There is only one quote from this scene that gives a slight indication that this practice may be immoral. This is when Pasanius says "and secondly there is dishonor in being overcome by the love of money, or of wealth, or of political power, whether a man is frightened into surrender by the loss of them." Maybe this quote indicates that it was well understood how a young Greek can be taken advantage of and just how much they can be humiliated.

But with all these factors in mind, we, therefore, have to ask ourselves did these so-called "educational institutions" function in such a way as to purposefully inflict trauma, abuse, and cruelty of young Greeks?

Can this thread be placed somewhere else actually? Like another subforum. Come to think of it, I don't like throwing topics like this around everywhere particularly due to its intensity and the effects it has had on people.

Yes, the Greeks were pedophiles, and were actually so misogynistic it was culturally encouraged to practice homosexuality-- during times Athenian females had less rights than male slaves and female slaves less than livestock. There's a cultural aspect though that you don't understand: if an older man took on a boy, that boy was hot s**t, the envy of his friends, because he was going places. In fact they were trained in the art of seducing an older man. It was open and celebrated in the culture and therefore all the shame, guilt, etc, we see with pedophilia today did not exist. An Athenian boy that had an adult lover would brag to his friends, not curl up in shame. Now, I'm not saying that's right, or something we should be doing today, but the practice had a completely different social effect on the boy than it does today (the exact opposite actually).

On a side note because you're concerned about the subject matter: I'm a 2x male sexual assault survivor. I was physically forced into heinous acts by a male at age 8, and drugged and raped by a female at 13. In both situations the sexual acts were not where the psychological damage was done, it was the loss of control of my own body, the forced nature of it, the realization that this person had so much control they could kill me and there's no way to even mount a defense, and the understanding that person in control had so much social power there's no way I would ever get justice. Those are the issues that would wake me up at night in a cold sweat for 20 years, not the actual sexual nature of it. So while I've always thought the pederast philosophy of Greece was creepy, I also understand that it was nothing like the pedophilia I experienced, because those boys didn't have to worry about the issues I did.

It’s not “sympathy” I see here.

It’s more like “acknowledgement.”

I was forced by a man onto a bed when I was 18 (I was legally an adult, but actually a child), and forced to endure him dry-humping me. Not quite what happened to Aristophanes....but it had its effect.

I don’t believe commiseration necessarily equals “feeling sorry”— It’s more like an acknowledgement most of the time.

Yep. Back to the Greeks.

I wish we knew more about how the common people (i.e., who were not Athenian/Spartan/whatever citizen of their city-state) felt about pederasty and such things.

What we know, wouldn't you agree, is mostly the mores of the "upper classes," who were citizens of those city-states.

LOL....We have this sort of obsession even in that Venus sculpture which has been dated to approximately 20,000 BC---even though what is depicted is exaggerated female sexual features, rather than erect penises.

Good point, though. Archaeologists have to be detectives, as well as mere diggers. They have to be coders, too. They must, sometimes, formulate theories based on what, to the layman's eye, are merely specks of dust.

As for question asked:

It could easily have been, even if it wasn’t, because of the power dynamics between teachers and students.

Aristotle once said: "Women for children, boys for pleasure."

Was there any ancient culture during that time which was children friendly?

The Canaanites had child sacrifices and known to be incestuous.

The Romans probably were like the ancient Greeks.

Ancient Egyptians were probably the most prude? I don't recall any of their art depicting sexual acts.