I used to think like the article posted, but I changed my mind and let me tell you why:
When I was wrestling in college, I lost in the medal round at the national championships when I had a huge lead. I was devastated. I vowed to never let that happen again. I had read about this in one of my college courses, so I decided to tie a physical reminder to how I felt emotionally, so I went outside, grabbed a big hand full of dirt, and chewed it up. From that point on, even the smell or sight of dirt transports me to exactly how I felt emotionally after that loss. It is something I will remember intimately until the moment I die.
I was never a fan of these kind of hazing things in BJJ or wrestling, because honestly, I didnt believe any of them really served a purpose. From white belt to brown belt, I never was whipped. And you know what? I barely remember the day of the promotion, how I was feeling, or many details from white to brown. That is, up until Black Belt. When I got my black belt, I was given the option if I wanted to do the gauntlet. I did. I can tell you, the memorial ties to an event when linked with acute physical pain is MUCH stronger than if it is not. This is not just anecdotal evidence; I have read many peer reviewed studies that show this to be true and it also was true in my case. I remember that day much more vividly than other days in my life, that to me, were more important, simply because the tie to acute physical pain.
I do not believe people in BJJ participate in the gauntlet to degrade, harm, embarrass, or exploit other teammates. Coming from being a skeptic and detractor of the tradition, I have found it extremely meaningful to my own journey in terms of memory retention of the event. Others may view it as predatory or harmful, but I guess the experience is formed by the mind of the beholder.