Assigned Blog Cinco
The question of corporal punishment is sticky of course, and being in Jackson I haven’t had much occasion to really develop many coherent thoughts about it. However, there is story I’d like to share after I protest the implication that after being in Mississippi a young liberal teacher from up North will change his mind about the evils of hitting kids, given the ‘humane’ rules governing its use and the obvious necessity and benefits in certain cases. So, consider me protesting the very question, or at least, answering the question about how I feel now concerning corporal punishment by stating that my feelings haven’t changed – it’s ridiculous.
I am willing to concede that perhaps there is some merit to corporal punishment, but I oppose it more because it’s a symbol of the general backwards thinking in Mississippi that stunts its progress, growth, and enlightenment. For example, unions are more or less entirely corrupt these days, and yet, their existence is still categorically good in that they serve as a reminder that 8 year olds should not be mining coal for 16 hours a day and Americans generally make higher wages now and live better lives because of them. Or, regarding abortion, certainly I would wish that no one would ever be compelled to have one, but I’m a pro-choice guy because the abortion clinic, though perhaps philosophically sordid in some way (perhaps!), is a very tangible symbol that women, God forbid, actually have civil freedoms and rights. Corporal punishment to me is simply a sign that Mississippi refuses to change its educational system in a meaningful way, and God knows that unless it does it will perpetually remain the poorest state in the union.
All this having been said, the one experience with corporal punishment I’ve had is that the head football coach at my school uses it privately and discreetly with the star quarterback because he’s constantly slacking in school, and this just plain irritates me. The laws and mandates exist for good reason, and there seems to be a cultural trend in Mississippi that once you’ve climbed the ranks high enough you become above the law in some way. It’s hard to recall tangible evidence of this at the moment, but I’m sure the reader can appreciate that there is a bad habit of higher-ups bending the rules down here. Oh, I’m a cop so I can drive 110 mph down the interstate. Oh, I’ve been a senator long enough that I can accept blatant bribes. Oh, I’m a principal now so I can duck out of school an hour early. Oh, I’m the head football coach so I can physically abuse my players.
It’s sad that Mississippi needs such rules and laws to make some progress, but even where those rules and laws exist they’re treated with kid gloves, undermining the whole reasoning and positive consequences of those rules and laws. I could expand this argument endlessly, but maybe the problem is that there is only a fundamental respect for the Law as an abstract concept when it’s convenient for most Mississippians. And now I’m generalizing out my ass, but hey, let’s make the normalcy of the situation not hitting kids instead of hitting them, okay?
I am willing to concede that perhaps there is some merit to corporal punishment, but I oppose it more because it’s a symbol of the general backwards thinking in Mississippi that stunts its progress, growth, and enlightenment. For example, unions are more or less entirely corrupt these days, and yet, their existence is still categorically good in that they serve as a reminder that 8 year olds should not be mining coal for 16 hours a day and Americans generally make higher wages now and live better lives because of them. Or, regarding abortion, certainly I would wish that no one would ever be compelled to have one, but I’m a pro-choice guy because the abortion clinic, though perhaps philosophically sordid in some way (perhaps!), is a very tangible symbol that women, God forbid, actually have civil freedoms and rights. Corporal punishment to me is simply a sign that Mississippi refuses to change its educational system in a meaningful way, and God knows that unless it does it will perpetually remain the poorest state in the union.
All this having been said, the one experience with corporal punishment I’ve had is that the head football coach at my school uses it privately and discreetly with the star quarterback because he’s constantly slacking in school, and this just plain irritates me. The laws and mandates exist for good reason, and there seems to be a cultural trend in Mississippi that once you’ve climbed the ranks high enough you become above the law in some way. It’s hard to recall tangible evidence of this at the moment, but I’m sure the reader can appreciate that there is a bad habit of higher-ups bending the rules down here. Oh, I’m a cop so I can drive 110 mph down the interstate. Oh, I’ve been a senator long enough that I can accept blatant bribes. Oh, I’m a principal now so I can duck out of school an hour early. Oh, I’m the head football coach so I can physically abuse my players.
It’s sad that Mississippi needs such rules and laws to make some progress, but even where those rules and laws exist they’re treated with kid gloves, undermining the whole reasoning and positive consequences of those rules and laws. I could expand this argument endlessly, but maybe the problem is that there is only a fundamental respect for the Law as an abstract concept when it’s convenient for most Mississippians. And now I’m generalizing out my ass, but hey, let’s make the normalcy of the situation not hitting kids instead of hitting them, okay?
posted by David Jones | 16:34
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