In light of the recent news about Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice, I began to reflect on my own reactions and philosophies regarding their situations...
I've always believed that there is never a reason for a man to strike a woman unless his safety is well and truly in danger.
I've always believed that corporal punishment of children is a justifiable and effective form of discipline when done with care and restraint.
Can those views be reconciled? How can I be morally opposed to hitting an adult woman in nearly all circumstances, but OK with hitting a child for disciplinary reasons? Does anybody else share these seemingly conflicting views, and how do you justify them? Has anybody here held both of those views, but subsequently changed their mind on corporal punishment?
I guess for me those views have been formed my by experience. I got my ass beat when I acted up as a child, but never felt that I was abused. I watched my father hit my mother and felt angry with him about the abuse and helpless to stop it. I've never really sat and reflected on these things philosophically and tried to figure out why I'm so repulsed by one thing but feel OK about the other.
Full disclosure, I am married with no children yet.
A note about this thread: If anybody turns this into a shit show or uses it to make jokes about abuse, I'll nuke the whole thing.
I've always believed that there is never a reason for a man to strike a woman unless his safety is well and truly in danger.
I've always believed that corporal punishment of children is a justifiable and effective form of discipline when done with care and restraint.
Can those views be reconciled? How can I be morally opposed to hitting an adult woman in nearly all circumstances, but OK with hitting a child for disciplinary reasons? Does anybody else share these seemingly conflicting views, and how do you justify them? Has anybody here held both of those views, but subsequently changed their mind on corporal punishment?
I guess for me those views have been formed my by experience. I got my ass beat when I acted up as a child, but never felt that I was abused. I watched my father hit my mother and felt angry with him about the abuse and helpless to stop it. I've never really sat and reflected on these things philosophically and tried to figure out why I'm so repulsed by one thing but feel OK about the other.
Full disclosure, I am married with no children yet.
A note about this thread: If anybody turns this into a shit show or uses it to make jokes about abuse, I'll nuke the whole thing.