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Date Posted: 13:56:23 02/02/07 Fri
Author: Tish Colvin
Subject: The Government and Punishment

Last night NPR covered the story of a California congresswoman's effort to outlaw the spanking of children under age 4 (as a side note - does that mean people think it's fine to hit a child once he/she turns 4?). The bill has sparked controversy. Some people think it's alright for the government to be involved because they view spanking as a serious matter. Others think the government has no role in child-rearing. Spanking is a form of punishment I: "Adding a baddie". Perhaps research that shows punishment I to be less effective than reinforcement (or punishment II, "taking away a goodie", followed by reinforcement) should be used to solidify the argument against spanking.

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[> Re: The Government and Punishment -- Miriam Dolin, 08:53:18 02/05/07 Mon

I think this is a very interesting debate. Personally I do not believe in corporal punishment and I also do not think it is effective. (Why would you hit a child at the same time you tell him not to hit others?) But spanking has been used by parents for centuries as a method of punishment. Those who argue against this bill state that the government cannot (or at least should not) go into homes and tell parents how to raise their children. I agree with this to a certain extent. I do not think it is the government's place to say which kind of punishment, I or II, or reinforcement parents should use. Sure there is information out there about what is most effective, but parents don't have to listen to that. Similarly, the goverenment cannot tell parents not to feed their child pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving because it is unhealthy. But the government does have the right and even the responsibility to protect Americans from illegal actions of others. So, can we equate corporal punishment with abuse? I think it is really this question of definition that divides people on this bill. The proponents of the bill see hitting a child, whether across the face or on the bottom as abuse while opposers of the bill see spanking as a tried and true form of punishment.


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