Should Gang Bangers Be Whipped?

I'm back from a short break just in time to open up a "can" on the topic of school-sanctioned beat-downs. I had no idea kids were still being spanked in schools. Apparently rowdy pupils a getting their tushes tapped on a regular in the south. There's one major problem with this southern-fried corporal punishment policy.

A quarter of a million schoolchildren got (spanked) in 2007 — and black children, American Indians and kids with disabilities got a disproportionate share of the punishment, according to a study by a human rights group. (source)

Minorities are being whipped more than anyone in the south? Well, surprise! Surprise!

I grew up in the era of paddling in the Detroit school system. My class clown tendencies often overpowered the chronic rule following nature engrained in most cop kids. So, I managed to get a few paddlings in my day. I still remember the worst of them - the one in front of multiple classes during gym period. Mr. Barnes had a thick round paddle with holes in it that created a suction effect on your butt cheeks with each stroke. The loud boom echoed throughout the gym and reverberated down to my toes. The humiliation lasted much longer than the sting.

Before I had a child, I probably would have been one of those people who say, “There’s nothing wrong with corporal punishment in schools. I went through it and I turned out alright.” I remember the young American who was caned in Singapore some years ago for going over there and spray painting graffiti or something. Americans went nuts. When I found out that Singapore has like a zero crime rate, my thoughts were that caning might be the answer to our little gang problem here in the states.

Now, the thought of some random teacher dragging my daughter to the front of the class, bending her over and pounding on her little behind is unacceptable to me. Teaching is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Teachers are underpaid, underappreciated and stressed out. I personally don’t want anyone at the end of his or her rope from being hounded by bill collectors wailing away on my baby girl.

Further, there is no way to regulate or standardize the level of punishment. Of course, my gym teacher hit way harder than my science teacher, Ms. Williams, who was missing a middle finger. Some teachers in my day paddled kids for every giggle while others never paddled at all, making the school day even more of an emotional rollercoaster.

The reported racial disparity in the way punishment is doled out in southern schools illuminates a more serious problem. There is no way you can convince me that minorities and little boys need more whippings than anybody else. That plays into all sorts of dangerous stereotypes. These types of disparities can’t be rationalized or prevented under the current system. Most states, including Michigan and my current home state Illinois, wisely dropped the policy years ago.

My view is that corporal punishment should be the decision of the parent and taken care of at home. It should be administered, if at all, by the people who love these children unconditionally.

I still stand behind the caning for gang members idea though.