Violence is a luxury that highly civilized cultures aspire to do without. Unfortunately, this aspiration itself seems to lower the level of such cultures and thereby re-introduce violence (see the levels of violence in New York versus London). It seems that there might be, when it comes to real flesh and blood human beings, a lower limit to violence. Try to go below that limit (by reducing socially sanctioned violence, such as punishment for criminals and discipline for children) and the rougher elements of your society act up and thereby heighten the levels of violence.

If you think about it, there is a feedback loop there that seems just about inevitable, at least with the current evolution of humanity.

I tend to agree with the previous post: I don’t want my kids’ schools to paddle them but I have an obligation at home to use measured physical discipline when necessary.

“and administrators with less training or a lack of skills will use it as a substitute for real discipline and use it a lot more often” This reminds me of a hate-filled middle school principal I had, who couldn’t go three sentences without threatening to beat students. I say hate-filled because he, like some (but certainly not all) of the teachers at that middle school convinced me that they hated the students. (I personally have always wondered if paddling students did…something for him. I know of at least two cases he tried it without permission, which is probably why he wasn’t there the year after I left.) People like that are another reason why I would not allow paddling in schools.

If anyone gave me the form to grant them permission to paddle my kid(s), I would go to the school and tear up the form in their faces.

Paddling isn’t a foundational fix. It’s one of those patches stuck on to a problem (like more money) to create the impression that something’s being done. My suspicion is that it will be used like spanking. Able administrators will use it sparingly, if at all, and administrators with less training or a lack of skills will use it as a substitute for real discipline and use it a lot more often.

You see, violence WORKS. Violence solves LOTS and LOTS of problems.

How do you think Canada, or the United States, came into being? Hugs? Did Lord North, King George III, and Ben Franklin join in a group hug to consecrate the United States? Did Hitler stop his tyranny because we asked him to be nice? Did the Japanese reconsider militarism because we dropped flowers on Tokyo?

Did the Soviets keep out of Western Europe all those decades because of the kindness of their hearts? Or was it because they knew that if they forcibly entered, they would have a body count that would extend into the hundreds of millions?

Now, you notice that I frown upon paddling by teachers. This is because ultimately that is something best left to the parents. If the PARENTS actually took the time to discipline their children, the teachers would have nothing to worry about.

So by this logic, those countries that ban corporate discipline at schools should see a fall in violence in general society outside school. Do we see this happening?

The implication being, undeservedly?

Bunk!

And what would you say to those schools that have caned students for lo! these many years? Any evidence to indicate that those students grew up to be violent adults?

My old school practised caning, usually by the Head. It also practised rigorous academics. Every single one of the students went to college, disruption in the classrooms was minimal, complaints by parents were minimal, and many of the students would admit privately that they deserved it.

What incredible arrogance!

Silly me…