I was browsing through Facebook the other day, and noted these two ideas next to each other. And the thought just came to me; spanking children and police violence are exactly the same in so many ways. So I thought I’d write, “Five Similarities…” or maybe “Eight Similarities…”
After ten minutes I was at “Sixteen…” and I decided to leave the rest up to you.
How Are Spanking and Police Violence the Same?
- They are done with the intention of stopping bad behaviour.
- They are done by someone whose primary job is to aid and protect us.
- They would be called assault in any other circumstance.
- They are unnecessary for most of the population.
- Some people who seem to require them don’t. They need completely different treatment.
- They are supported by people who don’t need them.
- They are supported by people who have no idea the damage they can do.
- They are seen by many as positive actions.
- No permanent damage is done in the vast majority of cases.
- In a minority of cases, the person on the receiving end should not be punished.
- A minority of the perpetrators are in an emotional state that makes them unable to control themselves.
- They tend to be self-perpetuating. Misapplication of the punishment results in further bad behaviour. Probably much more often than most people realize.
- In a small minority of cases, the results are catastrophic.
- Both cause a great deal of the trouble in our society.
- Both fall under Albert Einstein’s comment that insanity is repeating the same action over and over, expecting to get better results.
- If we could get rid of one, we’d have a great deal less of the other.
The Bottom Line
While both the spanking of children and police use of violence during arrests are prevalent in our society, both do more harm than good, and both should be abolished.