But times change. And if societies are supposed to become civilized, they must change those attitudes. Prison guards aren't allowed to hit prisoners. Parents who hit their children risk being accused of child abuse. It's just not common sense to allow these practices to continue.
Supporters say that corporal punishment is the only way to get children to pay attention.
But they'd be wrong. An April 2 article in the Atlanta Constitution said that the chief effect of beating children would be to instill in them a sense of fear. A child who has been beaten as punishment will not gain a clear understanding of what he or she did wrong. It would be more effective to withhold allowance or deny television time because it gives the child a chance to think about his behavior. All a child can think about when he has been beaten is the pain.