(Warning! Rant Alert!)
Just a thought or two on physical discipline. I have to say, that it does, absolutely, have a deterrent effect when used properly. Take, for example, the many inmates of the hardcore prison Alcatraz. The history of many many of it's released inmates was Very low in recidivism. Were these criminals all reformed and suddenly wonderful altruistic citizens again? Not a prayer. But they Did behave themselves and usually did so for the rest of their Lives,, as the abhorrence and fear of ever having to go Back again prevented them from doing otherwise. The same concept, but in a much more mild and lesser form can be applied to spanked or punished children. Many of us here can remember their fathers belt or their mother's hand on their backsides for doing some atrocious thing that we should have known better not to do, but after we got caught and Punished for it, we had the sense and reluctance to never do it Again for fear of an even worse punishment the Next time. It gave us a much needed lesson of "Don't do it again or Else!" and we were actually better off for having experienced it.
Now, no one here is seriously suggesting that we beat our children black and blue and raise welts and bloody blisters on their butts with electric cords, but it is only Natural to teach rights and wrongs in a gentler but firm manner such as corporal punishment. In Nature, you'll always see mother or father animals giving their out of line cubs and offspring a bat upside the head, and Humans are no different. It's how the young develop their morals and future lifestyles. In Some countries where offenders are executed, they even Televise the event, and it does, indeed, have a deterrent effect on the rest of the population and would be future offenders. One has only to witness the death of someone in the Electric Chair to realize what is being said here. Once seen, it Absolutely instills a restraining fear on anyone even Contemplating a similar offense with such a punishment. Yes, in a Utopian Society, there would never be a need for such things-our "intelligence" and reasoning powers should be sufficient enough, but, unfortunately, this is Not a Utopian Society and such a state may well never even Be a possibility. The prevailing attitudes of parenting today is one of "I'll never touch my child in anger. I'll send him to his room. I'll give him a time out. I'll ground him. I'll take away his privileges." But, sadly, such measures are rarely effective and are usually sneered at by the delinquent offenders. Children can Not be allowed to grow up without Some sort of workable restraints and limits. To let them go unchecked and doing as they will-acting on whims and thrills is a recipe for disaster and we are seeing more and more of it's results each day. Today, there are actual Laws that have been made that forbid taking away a young person's "media devices". Children can tell their parents "No, I won't and you can't Make me! If you do, I'll go to school and tell them that you hit or threatened me!" and they Will. If a child goes to his school and says "My Mom beat me"-even if they have no marks at all and may well even have made up the entire event just to get even with Mom not allowing them to do or have something, the school Will contact the authorities and they Will check it out. They Have to by Law. This makes parents nearly helpless and unable to do much of anything to check their children's behaviors.
It's a sad state of affairs we live in today. I,personally, grew up in a much different and earlier age, and yes, I got my share of smacks on the butt, but somehow....I seemed to have survived just fine and didn't turn out to be a torturing psychotic serial killer...20 years from now? Thankfully, I'll never see it. I don't even want to Think about it ,when you stop and consider all of the massive Changes that have occurred in just the Last 20 years...Okey...rant's over...I'll sit down again...
by NunoGTI
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