Like Celivia, I grew up where caning had been banned for a very long time. Like Celivia I had never met anyone who had actually personally had experience of physical punishment. My very, very large extended family are all law abiding citizens who work and pay taxes.

How is fear of physical pain supposed to teach respect and taking personal responsibility? Maybe only when you exchange the principal/parent with a punishing God who is not going to allow you into heaven when you've been bad. Fear as the motivator for behaving correctly and responsibly will only work when there is somebody bigger and stronger who will mete out punishment and there is little chance of not being caught.

The very real problem with young people and respect is demonstrated quite clearly by the tone of the likes of Hasbeen. How he referred to one of his children and this child's mother.

It sounds to me that this child was a very obedient child. How did you propose that this child's mother had any authority left with her child when you so clearly had no respect for her and her method of parenting? Did you think your son did not know?

Of course punishment deters misconduct, maybe not in 100% of the cases but certainly in the majority. If there is no punishment then why would people bother to do the right thing when others are taking advantage and getting away with it?

The cane only causes psychological problems and serious anger issues in children when the student feels cheated and believes it wasn't deserved. Again we go back to victimization and bullying by teachers and Principals. Some people in positions of power over children are racists and/or prejudiced and some are workplace psychopaths and just don’t particularly like certain children.

Bringing back the cane cannot happen until they do something about the complaint handling processes designed by the DET as they designed to protect those who are abusing their power in the DET.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better

The cane is one of those artifacts of conservative ideology that's immune to reason.

If information was scarcer fifty years ago, and we didn't hear of so much youth crime through the media, then obviously there WAS no crime. And why would there be no crime? Because we regularly assault our children for their infractions. Logic.

The irony is that the worst of crimes are committed by kids who live in houses where a caning is a relief compared to the regular violence they experience.

As for the Singapore example, runner, that's a country where long hair, chewing gum and TimTams are illegal, opponents of the government have their lives destroyed for trying to participate in the political process, and journalists get jail terms for criticising the PM.

Is that the kind of society you'd tolerate in exchange for less graffiti? I know you'd like Australia to be a sort of Christian Iran, but I think even you have limits.

Steel Mann.

I only got banned for a week because I got hot headed over you as a 'christian' and your support of nudism. There might have been other antagonism at the time from others supporting immorality.

Try with all of my heart, as I might, I cant balance out nudism with the Gospel and the behaviour of christians.

It just dont fit...ever.
Its not the way Jesus behaved or his apostles.

Out of respect for The Lord and His Will committed christians keep their clothes on.

Nudism, sexual immorality, porn, adultery....all are in the one category with me.

Gibo: << Nudism, sexual immorality, porn, adultery....all are in the one category with me. >>

Which is, of course, one of the reasons that nobody takes you seriously.

Gibo,

Thanks for you reply. I could say more, but I don't want to stir up this hornets nest anymore. I respect your feelings and acknowledge that they are in line with the attitude of most Christians, even though I cannot agree because I know what I'm taking about.