Re: I don't know

I'm tending to side with Goethe in this matter.

Those of us here are mostly not the sort to cause trouble for the sake of causing trouble, but I have met plenty of people who are. For such people, which is kinder? giving them a good beating early on to make them understand that they will not be allowed to raise hell with impunity? or letting them get away with anything until one day they reach the age of responsibility and are put in prison for the rest of their life?

It is true that I never required corporal punishment, and many others have not. Likewise it is true that there are other ways of teaching discipline that are generally superior in both execution and effectiveness. Nevertheless, I am doubtful that a universal prohibition is the wisest or kindest way to deal with every person.

As for those people who required corporal punishment to learn acceptable behavior - I do hold them in lesser regard than those who did not require corporal punishment. The fact that they lack internal motivation to do right by others and therefore require external motivation speaks ill of their character. Nonetheless, when given a choice between allowing them to be a productive member of society or making them a burden on society by putting them in jail, I prefer that they make themselves useful.