INTD-1010 Reflection Paper 1
Every child has heard someone say something along the lines of “hitting is bad” and “keep your hands to yourself,” whether it came from a parent, grandparent, babysitter, or teacher — we have all heard it. Most people can agree that violence is bad and should not be used to solve conflicts; but, many people still use it as a tactic to deal with stressful or upsetting situations. Many children learn at a young age that violence is bad and using our words can be a better way to approach a situation rather that hitting or saying mean things. Parents like to tell their children that hitting is bad, but they can sometimes contradict themselves when they decide that spanking or swatting is a proper punishment to use on that same child. There are laws in place to ensure that corporal punishment does not cross a line and cannot be classified as child abuse, but have these laws gone far enough to protect the children?
Section 43 of the Criminal Code describes what the government believes are proper outlines for corporal punishment inflicted on a child from an individual of authority, such as teacher, parent, or another person standing in for a parent. In this section, it is written that one may use corporal punishment if it is used “by way of correction (CITATION),” which means that if may only be utilized if it is beneficial in addressing an issue or problem. What doesn’t make sense to me is how parents can preach to their children that violence is bad and there are better, more civilized, ways of approaching a situation and dealing with it, but then they use spanking and other forms of discipline to deal with issues in the home setting. The law dictates that one cannot use objects to punish a child, which includes belts and rulers (CITATION), but unless the child speaks up to an outsider, how can this be monitored?
The real question here is, how far is too far? Obviously hitting a child with a blunt force or other extreme acts are considered malicious, as they should be, but standards for what is right and wrong, and what passes a moral line of what is okay and what is not is a very subjective topic. Some people view yelling as a violent act, and others think that it is perfectly fine. All of these variations simply depend on who you are, what you are used to, and your moral and ethical standards.
Corporal punishment is something that I personally have never believed in and I think that there truly are better ways to deal with a situation or issue that doesn’t involve violence in any way, shape, or form. Using violence as a form of punishment, especially in the home which is supposed to be a safe place for your own children, is something that I personally don’t agree with, and I think it would be interesting to learn more about why others would disagree.
Throughout the duration of this course, I look forward to future open classroom discussions about the topic of violence, because I think that it is interesting to shed light on other individuals’ views on a topic that is as controversial as this, and to open one’s self up to trying to understand both sides of the story, no matter where you stand on the issue.
Foundations of Inquiry is a course that I believe will benefit me in many ways, especially with questioning and critically analyzing texts, videos, and concepts. Analyzing the idea of violence in society can help me to better understand not only myself, but also the people around me, the world I live in, and the reasoning behind why people do the things that they do. The main idea that I would like to take away from this course by the end of the term is that I would like to decide for myself whether or not I believe that violence is nature and an innate characteristic within all human beings. I contributed to the discussion in class on the first day about this topic, but by the end of the term, I hope to have a better understanding on the issue and would like to be able to make a more educated decision on which side of the spectrum I stand on, and more importantly: why.
Barnett, L. (2008, June 20). The “Spanking” Law: Section 43 of the Criminal Code. Retrieved January 20, 2016, from http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/prb0510-e.htm
