Flint in the eye of a superpower

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from JoeUser Forums
As a superpower, thereby always on the world’s stage — if for no other reason — is it too much to ask that we clean up our image? It is time — ancient history in other industrial nations — for us to follow the lead of Canada’s Supreme Court’s long-delayed decision to spare the rod in their schools.

While we squabble over foolishness like gay marriage, the US continues to paddle 350,000 school children in public schools each year, not counting private and religious schools, according the “Washington Post.” Thankfully, 28 states have outlawed corporeal punishment in their schools, but still too many continue the practice as a method of discipline, particularly in the Bible Belt.

A courageous — I suppose others would pin cowardly — assistant principal of a school in Mississippi resigned on the grounds:

“The idea of a big white guy hitting an 80 pound black girl because she talked back to a teacher did not sit well with me....I decided I did not get my master’s degree in education to spend my time paddling students.”

Could this be a case of failing to separate religious from secular values in fear of “spoiling the child by sparing the rod.”? If the parents wish to continue this practice at home, and by God’s Will, then so be it, but the state should keep God out of this peculiar method.

2,766 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Bah. Schools are a state issue. If the Federal government said that spanking was a violation of civil rights, then not even parents could do it. Short of that the federal government should keep their noses out of state's rights to run their schools as they see fit. The Education system is probably one of the most grass-roots we have in the US, all the way down the the local school board. If people wanted corporal punishment out of their schools, they'd have it out. We don't have it in KY, but I am neutral.

Paddling was an option the whole time I was in school. I got no more than 2 the entire time and they were a joke. 90% of kids never got a paddling at all. I don't think it is religious at all, spanking is pervasive outside the non-Judeo-Christian world. I dunno if it does a lot of good, but I don't think there is great harm either.

People should decide what they want to do in their school systems, not have it imposed upon them by activists in some other part of the country.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
P.S. I would add that I don't get the title of the article at all. One would think with capital punishment , etc., it would take a long time for the world to work its way down to the fact we paddle our kids. The Chinese use rubber hoses and electricity to "re-educate". You wanna talk about flint... lol...
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
...what the... clean up our image? Here's news for you: a hundred years ago when the ideal was "spare the rod, spoil the child," we didn't even have the problems we have today. Not to mention STD's...

If the US wants to clean up its image, we have a lot more important things to think about than paddling.

~Dan
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Dan: You aren't helping. "Not to mention STD's"?? Syphilis was a plague hundreds of years ago when sailors first brought it back from Asia. There have always been STDs. The only exception is AIDS, and frankly we don't know how long it is been around and misdiagnosed as other stuff.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
US is paddling the kids ?!
i only knew that US could execute them.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
" US is paddling the kids ?! i only knew that US could execute them."

Yeah we're funny that way. Kind of like nations that claim to be free, who belligerently protect their 'culture', and then repress other people's ability to express their own. No nation seems to be without their "flint". Maybe we executed all the sort of people who would tell people what kind of head coverings or jewelery they are allowed to wear... No big loss, I guess. I'm sure you can understand, though, how a nation like the US might be interested in making their own cultural decisions, right?
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Is corporal punishment destroying the lives of these children, or are these people complaining for nothing?
I also like how the assistant principal uses race to his advantage.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
I would be curious to know how many people who live in these areas complain, and how many parents with children who are actually paddled complain, as opposed to activists who have no reference to the communities and no stake in the outcome of their activism.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
Obviously a no win situation; sorry, I brought it to your inattention.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
LOL, steve, don't take it so hard. The fact is activism is a wonderful thing, and I admire your concern.

"Shame" though, is a matter of self. You might be ashamed that some places tolerate coporal punishment in schools, but if the people in those areas don't see it that way then it is empty activism, isn't it? If you villainize the policy, you villainize the folks you are concened about, because they seem fine with the status quo. Other nation's perspective on us is kind of a blunt tool at present, too.

No offense has been intended, by me, anyway. Didn't mean to poo-poo your blog, just wanted to add my perspective.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
No, it's not the poo-poo, but rather that so many still cling to the old way of establishing authority. That there are those, I suppose, who would prefer stoning.
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top

It would seem that parents approve only because they beat the hell out of their kids at home.

Super, the race card is simply a fact in a predominately black school. 

Dan and Jepel, absolutely no comment.

Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
If we're going to compare spanking to stoning, then can we at least compare time outs to imprisonment?
Also, not everybody who spanks their children is abusive. I think evidence of this is that not everybody who's spanked is traumatized. In fact, I have yet to see somebody who was spanked as a children (and not the abusive kind unless we'll judge all other forms of discipline and punishment by the most abusive type it can be) and traumatized by it. Sure, I give that there is at least one children traumatized by it, just like with dodgeball, all sports, presentations in front of classes, etc. Therefore, it should all be banned.
If corporal punishment is only enforced in predominately black schools, then there might be a point. If it's enforced in schools that also are predominately white, then it's just using racism to one's advantage.
Just because you don't agree with it doesn't make it wrong. There has to be more to it than "I just don't like it."