Corporeal Punishment

During the Seahawks game Sunday the commentators talked about Adrian Peterson, a Vikings star running back who had been removed from the team Sept 2014 - Feb 2015 for disciplining his son with a switch. His actions left marks which almost ended his NFL career, until the NFL intervened.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

The marks are a bit much, indicating unnecessary savagery. Yet intervening between a parent and his child seems a little, I dunno, intrusive. And the marks don't look like anything permanent. Four might be too young though.

Was it the mother who turned him in? Was this a "domestic squabble" gone awry?

As someone who was spanked regularly -- bare bottom, flat piece of wood -- until I began laughing about it because the pain was minimal and the humiliation seemed to be all on my parents after a while -- well, I'm familiar with corporeal punishment and I know it can scare the shit out of younger kids. It might be effective, especially with willful boys.

So, I'm conflicted. What do YOU think?

What the article refers to as "disciplining his son," I would refer to as "beating a child." Sounds a little less acceptable, doesn't it?

The phrase "intervening between a parent and his child" would seem to give credence to the idea that children are the property of their parents and so may be subject to whatever the parent deems right. Children are not property; they are very much like people, only smaller. It sucks that various authorities are compelled to place themselves between a parent and a kid, but it doesn't suck as much as allowing children to be beaten. "Slash-like wounds" on a four-year-old child sounds like a proper reason for the authorities to become involved.

I don't believe there is ever an acceptable reason for beating a child. It does no good for the child and is just a way for the parent to let off steam. Any parent with even a little decency would find a better way to do that.

Here's the real story, on taking a second look.

The child in the pictures is white. Peterson of course is black.

Either the child is adopted, or belongs to his girlfriend from a previous relationship.

_Howard wrote:

The phrase "intervening between a parent and his child" would seem to give credence to the idea that children are the property of their parents and so may be subject to whatever the parent deems right.

Including anti-scientific religions (no matter how extreme), race-superiority views, unhealthy diets, severe discipline or lack of discipline, weird haircuts & clothes... Yup. Pretty much an American tradition.