Smacking Ban

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Joke ------->

 

Head

 

Maddox, however, is a completely unfunny dickweed who rants about nothing of the slightest importance, and he thinks everyone loves him for it.

 

I sometimes get too caught up in debates that I feel passionate about. Sorry about that.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Hell, he lists different beating manoeuvres?! Doesn't this just show that an upbringing with beating produces people who have no problems hitting their kids?

You're right. You need random spontaneity.

[Rummy]

Even with the fear of a proper smacking, sometimes it just wasn't enough to stop me(and it WAS fear, as soon as you knew the wooden spoon was coming you'd run and hide) but to have put that fear in me, I had to have been smacked previously. I think often my parents did use it as some form or last resort, as they'd often tell me nicely, sternly, very clearly, not to do something/to do something and warned me of the consequences(which'd sometimes spur me to do it) before they did it. I think it was rare a smack came out of nowhere.

Though having said that, I KNOW people CAN be raised without physical discipline, but I think both are viable options and choices for the parents to decide upon. I know on the whole healthy and well rounded individuals who have been so, but then again, people think I'm a fairly regular kind of person too, so I am not going to be in favour of one over the other.

If the government wants to tell parents how to raise their children, then let the government raise them for them. Until recent years, I'd thought we'd actually been doing quite all right as the whole human race, and I'm sure smacking has been around forever, just dwindling lately with more political correctness(if you can call it that, you know what I mean). I swear you did NOT have such shits running round the towns as you do these days, nor so many back 10-15 years ago(which is about the extent of my memory, and I'll admit it's not the sort of thing I'd be looking out for).

[EEVILMURRAY]

Anyone else have the "wash your mouth out with soap" punishment? :-D

[MoogleViper]

It's difficult to answer and depends very much on the circumstances. Do you have a specific situation in mind?

 

I know you probably want a straight yes/no answer from me, but the truth is there's no simple yes/no or black/white when debating a subject as serious as this.

 

Well I mean the parent is doing so in a responsible way without taking it too far as a form of punishment. They aren't abusing their children or beating them senseless. Just a slap on the bum when they have badly misbehaved.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Well I mean the parent is doing so in a responsible way without taking it too far as a form of punishment. They aren't abusing their children or beating them senseless. Just a slap on the bum when they have badly misbehaved.

 

Well, I guess I could accept it. As mentioned, the idea of using any form of "physical discipline" seems wrong in my head, but the different arguments in here has made me think a lot about it, pushing my opinion a little.

[Wesley]

[Flaight]

It scares me how black and white the world is for some people. There is a trend to make everything into a rule and the beauty of discretion is something of a lost art. Our decision making is becoming like that of machines and computers. Physical contact is, technically, an assault. But come on. This is all semantics. There is a difference between a parent who lightly smacks a child out of genuine love and a stranger who beats up a kid with a stick.

 

There is a difference of opinion here, but why should your opinion be forced down other people's throats? A ban is a law, which forces a certain opinion of SOME people on all of the population. Banning or making smacking compulsory by law isn't the answer here. Education is. The rest is an individual's informed choice; it is YOUR choice too, as well as for the others.

 

I'm scared by the misconceived perception of human rights these days. It leads to a bizarre over-protectionism at face value, discounting any depth or wisdom of social dynamics, like the sense of discipline that used to exist.

 

At this rate, the future will be ridiculous: the compulsory education will become illegal as forcing a child to go to school is a human rights abuse. Also if a parent doesn't buy a toy for a child when he's crying, the parent will be taken to court and have his income checked, and if he could afford one, he'll be prosecuted for not buying a toy and for an emotional abuse of the child.

 

It's all a black&white, technically correct bollox if you ask me. Talk about political correctness gone mad.

[jayseven]

It scares me how black and white the world is for some people. There is a trend to make everything into a rule and the beauty of discretion is something of a lost art. Our decision making is becoming like that of machines and computers. Physical contact is, technically, an assault. But come on. This is all semantics. There is a difference between a parent who lightly smacks a child out of genuine love and a stranger who beats up a kid with a stick.

 

There is a difference of opinion here, but why should your opinion be forced down other people's throats? A ban is a law, which forces a certain opinion of SOME people on all of the population. Banning or making smacking compulsory by law isn't the answer here. Education is. The rest is an individual's informed choice; it is YOUR choice too, as well as for the others.

 

I'm scared by the misconceived perception of human rights these days. It leads to a bizarre over-protectionism at face value, discounting any depth or wisdom of social dynamics, like the sense of discipline that used to exist.

 

At this rate, the future will be ridiculous: the compulsory education will become illegal as forcing a child to go to school is a human rights abuse. Also if a parent doesn't buy a toy for a child when he's crying, the parent will be taken to court and have his income checked, and if he could afford one, he'll be prosecuted for not buying a toy and for an emotional abuse of the child.

 

It's all a black&white, technically correct bollox if you ask me. Talk about political correctness gone mad.

 

I love you.

[The fish]

It's all a black&white, technically correct bollox if you ask me. Talk about political correctness gone mad.

 

I think hitting a defenceless child is fairly black and white. I'd rather it were not illegal for two adults to fight in the street than for a parent to essentially teach a child that violence is a viable answer for, say, not being co-operative.

 

I should also point out that smacking a child is fairly pointless, as it teaches the child nothing of benefit - the key difference between simply punishing children and disciplining children in an instructive manner.

[jayseven]

So is it just the kids who never got smacked that are complaining that it was a bad thing? Surely those with experience would actually have a much more valid opinion on the subject.

[Flaight]

I should also point out that smacking a child is fairly pointless, as it teaches the child nothing of benefit - the key difference between simply punishing children and disciplining children in an instructive manner.

That is a generalization and an opinion based on your perception and environmental experience. And based on that, it is black&white, I accept that.

 

What I am saying is that there are many people out there with varying experiences which don't fit into your one-size-fits-all model. Therefore, forcing one model in all cases for all children and parent-to-child relationship is unreasonable and unfair.

 

We aren't debating on whether smacking works or doesn't, we're debating on whether a ban should be in place. While I accept that your version of events is possible - in various cases smacking may be the wrong decision - that doesn't warrant an exclusive ban based on the particular model of upbringing that you believe in.

 

We should educate the society and parents as a whole, so that we may make a more informed judgment on case by case basis. Individuals must be entrusted with their wisdom on when to apply smacking. In many cases, it might so turn out that it's not necessary at all. At this point in time, saying that smacking is entirely unnecessary is a premature assumption as many of us have been effectively raised with an occasional smacking.

 

I don't think one can write a definitive guide on what the "right upbringing" is, which will result in a perfect human being. That's why I think an education for greater ability to judge a particular circumstance and context of smacking, combined with the art of discretion, is the way forward. Your concern on smacking is a fair one, and I agree to an extent, but that's just one side of the story.

[Rummy]

I would also like to know how you consider it 'fairly pointless' and that it 'teaches the child nothing of benefit'. If you're being silly and mean JUST smacking with no words or no explanation or anything, then yes, but otherwise how can you actually say that?

I would also like to say something more in the favour of smacking, as I said I think I probably recieved harsher than the average and would like to point out that whilst I can be violent now, and angry, and have at times in the past done silly things out of anger, I never got like it until about halfway through secondary school, and that was due to nothing to do with my parents. So any arguments about smacking teaching your children violence is the answer of solution to everything, I highly disagree with.