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Not as bad as made out to be. I guess they don't really have to much of a theft problem in China. One thing for sure, that little guy isn't stealing anything when he's a teenager.

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You call that getting the crap kicked out of him? He got a little scuffed.

 

My dad could expect a lot worse than that if my grandfather had found out he stole. When he delivered a correction, they never did it again and when he told them to do something, it got done. One anecdote often told was that a nun at grammar school rapped my dad on the knuckles for lying when he said he'd been on the USS Nautilus while it was being built. It was the truth. My grandfather drove rigs for Roger Sherman trucking company and, well, I'm not bragging to say he was the best driver they had. The historic houses at Mystic Seaport? He drove most of them there. Guys would get in tight spots they couldn't get out of, they'd call him. Anyway, my dad had been with him during the summer when he made a delivery for the submarine yard for it. The commander was there and gave him a tour of the ship (except for areas that are still classified) and gave him a sterling silver tie-clip of the Nautilus with a 'GD' mark on it. This was a special one, as the ones they had for the general public to buy didn't have this mark, which stood for General Dynamics, which built the Nautilus. It's also my dad's initials. Anyway. Long story short, the nun hit his knuckles with a ruler, my dad called her a "!@#$ing B word" and he got sent to the principal's office. When he got home, he expected to get it. He was French-Canadian, and the French historically hit their kids as discipline. And just to note that during the Depression, my grandfather was a boxer on the side... He wasn't a known name or anything, but he was never knocked out. As my dad says, "The old man gave me a wallop for calling the nun that. I was expecting another, but he said he couldn't punish me for lying when I hadn't lied. He was a tough SOB, but he was fair."

 

Time was in this country where that kind of treatment would be a kid gloves version of what many parents would do in addition.

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You call that getting the crap kicked out of him? He got a little scuffed.

 

My dad could expect a lot worse than that if my grandfather had found out he stole. When he delivered a correction, they never did it again and when he told them to do something, it got done. One anecdote often told was that a nun at grammar school rapped my dad on the knuckles for lying when he said he'd been on the USS Nautilus while it was being built. It was the truth. My grandfather drove rigs for Roger Sherman trucking company and, well, I'm not bragging to say he was the best driver they had. The historic houses at Mystic Seaport? He drove most of them there. Guys would get in tight spots they couldn't get out of, they'd call him. Anyway, my dad had been with him during the summer when he made a delivery for the submarine yard for it. The commander was there and gave him a tour of the ship (except for areas that are still classified) and gave him a sterling silver tie-clip of the Nautilus with a 'GD' mark on it. This was a special one, as the ones they had for the general public to buy didn't have this mark, which stood for General Dynamics, which built the Nautilus. It's also my dad's initials. Anyway. Long story short, the nun hit his knuckles with a ruler, my dad called her a "!@#$ing B word" and he got sent to the principal's office. When he got home, he expected to get it. He was French-Canadian, and the French historically hit their kids as discipline. And just to note that during the Depression, my grandfather was a boxer on the side... He wasn't a known name or anything, but he was never knocked out. As my dad says, "The old man gave me a wallop for calling the nun that. I was expecting another, but he said he couldn't punish me for lying when I hadn't lied. He was a tough SOB, but he was fair."

 

Time was in this country where that kind of treatment would be a kid gloves version of what many parents would do in addition.

 

My opinion is that people are better off when they learn to make the personal decision that doing wrong things is wrong, rather than simply existing in a state of fear over the consequences.

 

From a pragmatic perspective, the above opinion may not carry water. But from a humanistic perspective, I don't know if there's a valid argument for corporal punishment.

 

I think that most people come to an awareness that they should not act immorally without the help of their father's belt. Maybe I'm wrong. I know I did, anyway.

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My opinion is that people are better off when they learn to make the personal decision that doing wrong things is wrong, rather than simply existing in a state of fear over the consequences.

 

From a pragmatic perspective, the above opinion may not carry water. But from a humanistic perspective, I don't know if there's a valid argument for corporal punishment.

 

And yet, in the shout box, I'm reading...

 

now, humans are obviously the most capable of bucking these trends and seeking mates for emotional reasons because we are uniquely sentient....but our subconscious animal nature can explain much of our sexual behavior

 

You're arguing for our "subconscious animal nature" in one context, but against it in another? I'll let you mull that over a bit...

 

I think that most people come to an awareness that they should not act immorally without the help of their father's belt. Maybe I'm wrong. I know I did, anyway.

 

You're rare. Most puppies don't housebreak themselves.

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And yet, in the shout box, I'm reading...

 

 

 

You're arguing for our "subconscious animal nature" in one context, but against it in another? I'll let you mull that over a bit...

 

 

 

You're rare. Most puppies don't housebreak themselves.

 

I wouldn't say I was "arguing for" our animal nature...really just acknowledging its role in a behavior (mating) that a lot of people think lies closer to the subjective side of the spectrum. There is, of course, this duality to much of what we do. Our base instincts tugging with or against our knowledge of social norms and constructs. In the very same sentence you quoted from the shoutbox, I acknowledged man's unique ability to deny his instincts.

 

In any case, I fail to see a connection between these two contexts. There aren't any hormones in our bodies screaming "HIT YOUR CHILDREN!" like there are that scream "!@#$ THAT TEENAGER!"

 

As for your last assertion, I wonder about this. I'd like to see research (maybe it already exists) on the relationship between violent punishment during childhood and socially acceptable behavior during adulthood. I'd never argue that parents shouldn't discipline their children and act as moral teachers. I just wonder about the actual efficacy of corporal punishment as opposed to other methods.

Edited by SageAgainstTheMachine
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As for your last assertion, I wonder about this. I'd like to see research (maybe it already exists) on the relationship between violent punishment during childhood and socially acceptable behavior during adulthood. I'd never argue that parents shouldn't discipline their children and act as moral teachers. I just wonder about the actual efficacy of corporal punishment as opposed to other methods.

 

"Violent" or "corporal"?

 

Because anyone who's ever housebroken a puppy knows that a gentle swat on the nose reinforces a message, but kicking the **** out of it makes for a dysfunctional and violent animal.

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"Violent" or "corporal"?

 

Because anyone who's ever housebroken a puppy knows that a gentle swat on the nose reinforces a message, but kicking the **** out of it makes for a dysfunctional and violent animal.

 

Right, corporal. I used the wrong word there. Physical punishment vs. moral instruction is what I meant.

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