Judge William Adams Caught Beating Daughter on Video

[Patroklos]

The child did do something wrong, regardless about how you feel about it. As a judge I would expect him to treat literally breaking the law in his own home as a serious offense and she should be punished for it.

Whether she deserved the punishment she got, however, is what we are disgussing.

 

[warpus]

I am of the opinion that spanking is a good tool in punishing your children.

But what we saw in this video was not spanking, it was abuse. Two different things. I hope this guy goes to jail.

 

[mrt144]

I just can't believe that INTERNET PIRACY is a belt worthy transgression. I wonder if he made her cut down switches for jaywalking.

 

[mrt144]

The child did do something wrong, regardless about how you feel about it. As a judge I would expect him to treat literally breaking the law in his own home as a serious offense and she should be punished for it.

Whether she deserved the punishment she got, however, is what we are disgussing.

Wonder how he would have handled abusive cop husbands.

 

[aelf]

Looks like a good way of teaching his child the principle of the inviolability of property, much like how a thief or a thieving slave might have been punished by a flogging in the 'good old days'.

 

[Patroklos]

But isn't there a slippery slope here?

Not really, we have laws against child abuse that can be used to pretty closely approximate where you transition from acceptable and unacceptable levels of corporal punishment.

The difference is not perfectly deliniated, but I think they are deliniated enough that 99% of people know when they are crossing the line.

Was corporal punishment really the way to go or could there have been other forms of punishment which would have been just as effective to teach you the lesson your parents wanted to impart?

I think there are readily available things that can be as effective, not necessarily more. Depending on your age and intelligence at the time logical arguements are not going to be effective. You have to show them something is wrong.

There is also the time factor. Sure, my folks could have come up with elaborate punishment schemes or prolonged my dicipline over a couple of weeks of monitored grounding to make the same point. However, they both had jobs and also three other children to take care of and time is not infinite.

And some things are just served better with a quick one time unambiguous lesson that something is wrong embodied by a slap or spanking. Even when the hit doesn't actually hurt you know damn well you screwed up.

 

[NickyJ]

I have nothing against reasonable corporal punishment of children, this appears to be beyond what I would consider reasonable, he is too indiscriminant as to where he is hitting her.

Besides the issue of how much force is allied, there is also the issue of how that force is applied. It should not be an emotional decision and certaily should not be administered while you are emotional about it. Thats just asking for trouble.

Besides a few quick face slaps now and again from my mother (I deserved them all), when I get the spoon from my mom or the belt from my dad it was never an emotional reaction. I was the one who went and got my instrument of punishment and brought it to them, with plenty of time for me to think about what I had done and them to calm down.

This, for the most part.

I watched a bit of the video, and I'd have to say that what he did was wrong. (Duh.) While I find that corporal punishment is acceptable in certain cases, what he did was most certainly wrong. First of all, I'm against using anything other than the hand. Secondly, like Patroklos said, he was too discriminant about where to hit her. Rear-end is the only place, in my opinion. Thirdly, she looks far too old. Corporal punishment should only be used as a last resort during adolescence. After then, the child's the behavior is basically ingrained and can only have minor adjustments made to it, and thereby rendering corporal punishment unnecessary.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

That's not a human, but a failure and waste of life.

 

[Artifis]

Not really, we have laws against child abuse that can be used to pretty closely approximate where you transition from acceptable and unacceptable levels of corporal punishment.

The difference is not perfectly deliniated, but I think they are deliniated enough that 99% of people know when they are crossing the line.

That's what we'd like to believe. Personally I think the line is way too thin, which leads to parents occasionally overstepping the boundaries, even when they don't know it.

And some things are just served better with a quick one time unambiguous lesson that something is wrong embodied by a slap or spanking. Even when the hit doesn't actually hurt you know damn well you screwed up.

The whole point of the punishment is for the hit to hurt. Otherwise how does the message get across?

 

[Formaldehyde]

So what are the appropriate punishments for children? What really works when telling one's children that what they're doing is wrong? Corporal punishment certainly works in the short term, but does it really do anything useful in the long run?

Yes, I think if properly applied that it can be an effective way to deal with the inherent problems that all parents face. But I am now convinced that far too many people use it as an excuse to physically and emotionally abuse their children. And in some areas, it is still even used by school teachers who are occasionally sadists with their own severe emotional problems.

To me, spanking should only be allowed by a parent or an adult specifically designated by a parent. It should be confined to the use of the hand on the buttocks in a manner which is not intended to create much physical pain. The real punishment is in the act of humiliation and subjugation to the authority of the parent. And most of all, it should be restricted to children who have generally not reached puberty. 16-years-old is far too old.

But I now think it should be completely banned. There is far too much latitude in what is allowed or considered to be reasonable.

 

[bhsup]

I just can't believe that INTERNET PIRACY is a belt worthy transgression.

I got whipped when i was a little kid for taking a candy bar from a grocery store. Same thing here as far as I am concerned. Nothing wrong with a whippin' for theft.

Note, though, that the video has been removed and I haven't seen it. It could very well be a case that this guy went too far and entered into assault territory

 

[Artifis]

I got whipped when i was a little kid for taking a candy bar from a grocery store. Same thing here as far as I am concerned. Nothing wrong with a whippin' for theft.

Note, though, that the video has been removed and I haven't seen it. It could very well be a case that this guy went too far and entered into assault territory

Oh he did my friend, he certainly did.

When you grab your daughter, throw her onto the bed, use your belt to whip her indiscriminately around on the back, legs and buttocks, use profanities on her and tell her that she doesn't belong in her house, that's certainly going into assault territory.

And she was screaming every time the man came to her.

One especially menacing part was when he went right in front of her face and asked her, "Are you happy now?" and she replies in terror, "No sir."

 

[aelf]

The man was wrong in using profanities. That is un-Christian or un-whatever traditional moral code you happen to subscribe to. Hitting her, on the other hand, is not wrong from that perspective. In fact, it is good because it taught her a lesson she is not likely to forget. The only time it is wrong is when it is not done out of love.

 

[bhsup]

Okay, I just watched it (thanks for the PM Forma, I stupidly didn't even think to click on the news article.)

For the first few seconds I really didn't see anything terribly wrong, but then he very rapidly escalated the whipping way beyond acceptable. And the profanity and verbal abuse as well, just so totally unacceptable. Also, she's 16, and really corporal punishment is out the window at that point I should think, unless you are just being abusive (*).

I do want to disagree with some about the comments the mom made, though. Watching the video, I am really getting the impression that the mother was trying to mitigate it as best she could and was putting on a show for dad. Notice that once mom got the belt, the kid only got one more whipping with it. Honestly think mom was doing what she could to stop it and just had to make dad think she was being stern. Could be wrong, but...what else could she really do to end it?

(*) Got slapped once when i was 16 by my mom. Was having an argument with her and I hatefully and callously called her an old hag. *Bam* instant, instinctive backhand right to the face. Mom started crying and whatnot cuz she'd hit me and I had to tell her it was okay, I deserved it.

 

[mrt144]

I got whipped when i was a little kid for taking a candy bar from a grocery store. Same thing here as far as I am concerned. Nothing wrong with a whippin' for theft.

Note, though, that the video has been removed and I haven't seen it. It could very well be a case that this guy went too far and entered into assault territory

I forged a signature on a disciplinary action letter when I was in 4th grade. The police were called. I never ever entertained the idea ever again.

 

[useless]

I cannot believe that anyone could defend this...

 

[NickyJ]

I cannot believe that anyone could defend this...

Who has?

 

[useless]

It is implicit, you merely must read this thread. I am shock that people would do such a thing.

 

[bhsup]

I haven't seen one person say it was acceptable. If you think someone is implying it, you need to say who because you could very well be misreading what they said.

 

[NickyJ]

I haven't seen one person say it was acceptable. If you think someone is implying it, you need to say who because you could very well be misreading what they said.

Exactly. I and others have said corporal punishment is fine in certain cases, but no one in this thread has condoned what the video has shown.