|
Do we learn nothing from scientific research? Do we learn nothing from past attempts that have failed? Must we repeat the mistakes of our history forever? It would seem so, if the issue of beating misbehaving children arises. For some people it seems that violence is the first resort they consider when a problem arises. Bad kids? Just beat the devil out of them; that'll teach them a lesson, just like I learned when I was a kid. Study after study shows that spanking, whipping, paddling, just don't bring the results we want, and bring other results we don't want - such as resentment and retaliation as a result of being humiliated. Does it ever occur to these old fogies that if it is such a good idea for kids, why not use it on adults as well? Certainly it has, and it results in customs such as cutting off fingers and hands as a consequence to simple burglary in some Mideast countries, and caning in Singapore . Is that the style we want to emulate? I don't have room to lay out all the bad things about whipping, but readers can find them online I am sure. I am no bleeding heart, just one who knows the research. There are those who simply will not learn from research or history of any kind. I will leave it to others to attach names to them.
William F. Wallace, Ph.D.
Return to Front page
|