Spanking and Anti-Spank
Not suprisingly in our avoid-unpleasantness-at-all-costs culture, many people (notably including some PARENTS) are opposed to the practice of spanking children. Some of them even have websites!
There's lots of ground to cover here, from spanking in public schools (outlawed in about half of US states; infrequently practiced in some others) to spanking in public. I claim no special expertise other than seven years' parenting experience, and as the recipient of numerous responsibly administered spankings as a child. (All, I think, by my father; at least, I don't recall being spanked by anyone else.)
I understand the anti-spankers' angst. How can it be good to HIT your children, after all? Ultimately, I disagree, of course -- besides the Biblical case, I have the example of my own experience and the self control I learned from it. But what has recently caught my attention is the philosophical basis for many peoples' opposition to spanking. It seems to be summed up in this fascinating quote from one anti-spanking website:
--BORIS SIDIS, from "A lecture on the abuse of the fear instinct in early education" in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1919.
What caught my attention was that many opponents of spanking (though by no means all) want to use the very "policeman's club" and "fear of jail" bemoaned by Professor Sidis to stop spanking. They want it to be against the law for ANYONE to spank children, their parents included. The threat to freedom is real, as spanking is already against the law, even for parents, in several countries.
I might be more sympathetic to the drive to outlaw spanking (though I'd still oppose it) if abortion were illegal. It seems like we could start with outlawing indiscriminate slaughter of children before we worry about whether controlled blows administered by loving parents that don't leave bruises ought to be illegal.
There's lots of ground to cover here, from spanking in public schools (outlawed in about half of US states; infrequently practiced in some others) to spanking in public. I claim no special expertise other than seven years' parenting experience, and as the recipient of numerous responsibly administered spankings as a child. (All, I think, by my father; at least, I don't recall being spanked by anyone else.)
I understand the anti-spankers' angst. How can it be good to HIT your children, after all? Ultimately, I disagree, of course -- besides the Biblical case, I have the example of my own experience and the self control I learned from it. But what has recently caught my attention is the philosophical basis for many peoples' opposition to spanking. It seems to be summed up in this fascinating quote from one anti-spanking website:
As long as the child will be trained not by love, but by fear, so long will humanity live not by justice, but by force. As long as the child will be ruled by the educator’s threat and by the father’s rod, so long will mankind be dominated by the policeman’s club, by fear of jail, and by panic of invasion by armies and navies.
--BORIS SIDIS, from "A lecture on the abuse of the fear instinct in early education" in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1919.
What caught my attention was that many opponents of spanking (though by no means all) want to use the very "policeman's club" and "fear of jail" bemoaned by Professor Sidis to stop spanking. They want it to be against the law for ANYONE to spank children, their parents included. The threat to freedom is real, as spanking is already against the law, even for parents, in several countries.
I might be more sympathetic to the drive to outlaw spanking (though I'd still oppose it) if abortion were illegal. It seems like we could start with outlawing indiscriminate slaughter of children before we worry about whether controlled blows administered by loving parents that don't leave bruises ought to be illegal.
posted by Under The Mountain | 8:27 PM
3 Comments:
I think it probably depends heavily on the little hind-parts in question.
Su
Brian, it's true that most laws aren't 100% enforced, and many are barely enforced at all. But even if only 1% of parents who spank are arrested, it's a bad thing for those 1%.
And yes, you're probably screwing up your kids whether you spank or not. Spanking is not a cure all.
Maybe we should drill holes in their heads!
yes drilling head holes is always an option.
and I hate it when I use "your" when I should use "you're".
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