“If you don’t behave I am going to give you a “good spanking”!”
Is there such a thing as a good spanking?
“Experts” are all over the map on this one so, allow me to pontificate on the subject for a moment.
First and foremost there must be consequences to ones actions.
As adults when we break a law the consequences usually come very close to the bottom; as in the back pocket where we carry our wallet. If we break major laws we end up paying out the nose and maybe end up incarcerated or even on death row!
Teaching children at an early age that there are consequences to their actions are the best way to keep them out of jail, and of course off of death Row!
Recently a teacher had several students hold some child down while she spanked them.
This type of actions bespeaks of gang or mob mentality, the likes that we are seeing in Ferguson.
Involving other children in the actions of reprimanding a child in such a fashion is close to criminal and at the very least that teacher should be fired for showing such poor judgment!
Swats or CP in schools should not be carried out by the teacher but, rather a disinterested third party whose job it is to carry out such actions.
The argument could be made that when it comes to swats they are one step away from needing a more serious form of “guidance.” A case could be made that some part of the system for be created to deal with Juveniles who have yet to break any serious law but are headed that way. Very possibly these wayward kids are introduced to the system where any form of “course correction” that a judge might see fit to order be employed.
The goal is to save the kids from incarceration or avert them from going down the wrong path. Some intermediary form of “the system” could be created to give these kids the attention that they need whether it be in parenting, guidance or just a good old fashioned spanking!. We need smart people dealing with this now, vs guards keeping them in line later.
There is no harm in getting creative with the punishment either.
For instance, some schools give swats for chewing gum in class. Not that anyone cares what you eat but gum chewers in a quite environment can be distracting so we prohibit gum chewing in class!
Should such an offence get swats?
To my way of thinking; I would have the child stay behind in detention with some sort of tool to remove all of the gum found under the desk where these same inconsiderate few, place it after they are finished with it.
Spanking for such an offence might happen after two or three attempts to break the habit in less drastic measures.
The “bottom line,” spanking within reason in a calm rational environment along with a note sent home for the parent to sign should be available to the teachers. School is a place to learn and all should have that equal opportunity to learn and not be interfered with by those that are there “because they have to be.”
I stress here calm and rational environment because we are not interested in beating anyone. While CP should not be the first line of punishment. it should certainly not be done away with.
Since the family unit is in disarray, the school must often pick up the mantle of responsibility for teaching Reading Writing Arithmetic and Reverence for the laws of this country as well as Respect for the Rights of others.
If we had more of this,
we would most certainly have less of this!
Now, which is worse?
In retrospect if we created some form of intermediary adjunct to the local police force to deal with “kids on the way to being problem kids” the money spent might very well save money from incarcerating them later as well as getting them to be productive citizens rather than something else. When a few swats don’t turn them around, you need something a little stronger that makes more of an impression.
This is not a one size fits all however; as the kids in the inner city would need a program different from the ones in the burbs.
-Best
TheTimeDok 
I realize you and I are both just theorizing, so please accept my reaction in that spirit. I know your intent is to solve problems. Spanking isn’t the same thing as hitting to everyone, but it is to me. If my child was “spanked” for any reason, I would be pressing an assault charge. There are so many other kinds of punishments and restrictions available, if school staff still resort to hitting a kid, I believe they just aren’t trying.
I’m over 60. We used to have a LOT more corporal punishment in school when I was a kid, yet the rates of violent crime are all lower now than they were then, in every state. That contradicts your hypothesis.
The other objection I have is this “death row” thing you’ve tried to link to an awareness of consequences (cause and effect). The problem with that is the homicide rates are basically equal between death penalty and non-death penalty states, so the penalty doesn’t act as a deterrent. The reason for that is that murders, by a wide margin, are crimes of passion committed by perpetrators who are known to, and usually close to the victims. Crimes of passion is just like it sounds. People don’t consider “consequences” when they are enveloped in rage. You could have a law that a person’s entire extended family will also be executed, and it wouldn’t prevent murders.
You and I are about the same age. I appreciate your comments.
We have school systems where the kids can cuss the teachers and they the administration can do little to nothing about it.
We have the lunatics running the asylum and there seems little can be done for fear of some litigious actions on the parts of some parents who were not there, do not have the facts, and think that their kid is perfect, and can do no harm.
We see it in fact every day on the news where some kid kills someone or does something incredibly imbecilic, and the parent simply denies that their kid is capable of it.
Even after they are shown the video, they are in denial; which I suppose is to be expected.
The schools spend more time with our kids then we do, which I guess is the nature of the beast as we try to eke out a living, take the kids to soccer and so forth.
What the Florida teacher did was wrong, and she should be terminated.
Actions have consequences and we are not for whatever reason teaching this to our young. After some get old enough to leave home, they end up in trouble of some sort because now the legal system gets involved.
Some are lucky enough to get into the military and learn from Boot Camp that “actions have consequences.”
This is a forum for conversation about such things. We are just theorizing as you say. While I don’t agree with Hillary on most things, I think in some cases “it does take a village.”
I made it through school without ever getting into trouble because I learned right from wrong at home; where I should have. Many, far too many don’t have that luxury. Where do they learn it? From MTV? Other movies and or sitcoms? Big Bird? Or on the street…
Making the jump from lack of consequences to death row without incarceration in the middle was an oversight. We have made a complete industry out of incarceration in this country. We are doing something wrong. To quote Obama “ if you do the same thing for over 50 years and it is not working it is time to change it!” Now he was talking about Cuba, but the idea is the same.
My “opinion” on the matter is that it starts at home and continues on into the education system where teachers are either restricted by laws, or what have you; or simply don’t care to teach children right from wrong. Church would be a good place but, we are actively doing everything that we can to take (God,) church out of everywhere.
The answers are there; I am not certain where.
Thanks again for your thoughts.
-Best