04-18-2004, 05:42 PM
You are an excellent example of what I was speaking about Obi2Kenobi. Your example about corporal punishment perhaps reveals more than you intend it to. You expressed your opinion that âexcessive corporal punishmentâ against a child is bad. While I would say that most of us would agree with that, the issue you avoided was the use of any corporal punishment at all. By inclusion of the qualifier âexcessiveâ I assume you mean that you support the use of some corporal punishment against children. I can rephrase this to say that you support parents hitting their children. I realize that this probably has a more negative connotation when written this way than you had hoped to imply, but stick with me for a bit.
What if there were no laws against a parent hitting their children and you were disciplining your child in a public area. Let us say I disagree with corporal punishment and I am unhappy about it. Of course Pete is correct; everyone is entitled to an opinion. The problem occurs when everyone tries to have an input. If I walk up to you and express my displeasure with your assault on your child, you would likely have an explanation or a justification. This is because nobody likes to think of themselves as being in the wrong. If I started shouting that you are a bad parent and should have your children taken away, I would likely get a punch in the face.
Allow me to pose another example which I think is even more relevant. What if I was a devout Baptist and I saw you walking with your young daughter and she is wearing an hijab. I say to myself âHoly #$%&! That kid is going to Hell. I gotta save her!â Now I am fairly confident that you feel I am entitled to that opinion, but what would happen if I were to actually take steps to have her taken away from you? I am also fairly confident that you would not support that action. What if I took the middle position and simply started calling you a bad parent in front of the largest audience I could find? I think you would feel defamed and slighted simply because you and I have a difference of opinion on which religion is right. This opinion on which religion is correct is very like the opinion of whether it is ok for young children to see a violent film. In the end you are trying to force your will on someone due to an opinion that, at best, is debatable and, at worst, untenable.
I feel I must also address a distinction that I may have drawn with too much subtlety. This is primarily in response to Nystul. I used the phrases âsocietyâ and âpeople outside of the familyâ in a manner where I had hoped they would have distinct enough meanings. By âsocietyâ I mean the whole as represented by a (representative or democratic) government. By âpeople outside of the familyâ I mean individuals not directly related to the matter at hand. The difference here is that between the rule of law, and vigilante âjustice.â I agree with Pete here as well in regard to the opinion that government may interject itself too willingly in the affairs of individual families. This is where I would say there is a fine line to be walked. Where precisely that line lies is not in my knowledge. I am of the opinion that the lineâs location should be judged not on who cries âfoulâ the loudest and most voraciously, but on what arguments can be most soundly supported with reason.
This is to say that I do not hold the opinions of the parents as sacrosanct in this matter. I simply hold them higher than I hold yours.
What if there were no laws against a parent hitting their children and you were disciplining your child in a public area. Let us say I disagree with corporal punishment and I am unhappy about it. Of course Pete is correct; everyone is entitled to an opinion. The problem occurs when everyone tries to have an input. If I walk up to you and express my displeasure with your assault on your child, you would likely have an explanation or a justification. This is because nobody likes to think of themselves as being in the wrong. If I started shouting that you are a bad parent and should have your children taken away, I would likely get a punch in the face.
Allow me to pose another example which I think is even more relevant. What if I was a devout Baptist and I saw you walking with your young daughter and she is wearing an hijab. I say to myself âHoly #$%&! That kid is going to Hell. I gotta save her!â Now I am fairly confident that you feel I am entitled to that opinion, but what would happen if I were to actually take steps to have her taken away from you? I am also fairly confident that you would not support that action. What if I took the middle position and simply started calling you a bad parent in front of the largest audience I could find? I think you would feel defamed and slighted simply because you and I have a difference of opinion on which religion is right. This opinion on which religion is correct is very like the opinion of whether it is ok for young children to see a violent film. In the end you are trying to force your will on someone due to an opinion that, at best, is debatable and, at worst, untenable.
I feel I must also address a distinction that I may have drawn with too much subtlety. This is primarily in response to Nystul. I used the phrases âsocietyâ and âpeople outside of the familyâ in a manner where I had hoped they would have distinct enough meanings. By âsocietyâ I mean the whole as represented by a (representative or democratic) government. By âpeople outside of the familyâ I mean individuals not directly related to the matter at hand. The difference here is that between the rule of law, and vigilante âjustice.â I agree with Pete here as well in regard to the opinion that government may interject itself too willingly in the affairs of individual families. This is where I would say there is a fine line to be walked. Where precisely that line lies is not in my knowledge. I am of the opinion that the lineâs location should be judged not on who cries âfoulâ the loudest and most voraciously, but on what arguments can be most soundly supported with reason.
This is to say that I do not hold the opinions of the parents as sacrosanct in this matter. I simply hold them higher than I hold yours.