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Arguing from tradition on a tech forum? I’m not sure I see the logic here, unless you’re the type who thinks that we made a mistake trading flint for bronze. Ex

Arguing from tradition on a tech forum? I’m not sure I see the logic here, unless you’re the type who thinks that we made a mistake trading flint for bronze. Extremes aside, your argument could be applied equally well to bleeding people for “medicine” without changing more than the word “spanked” to “bled”. That should probably give you pause.

khazhou 8y ago
Your critique isn't much better, my friend. You are exaggerating his argument terribly ("bleeding people" like old times?) rather than looking at his actual point. He is saying that spanking was, and he claims is, still common. I don't personally have data, but I was certainly spanked, and I never thought it unusual. I hated it and vowed not to spank my own, which I never have. But I have no data on the rest of the world... and don't much feel like researching it anyway.
- toufiqbarhamov 8y ago
  I’m saying that “it’s normal” in the satatistical sense isn’t even an argument, it’s just an observation devoid of insight or a position. It also misses the entire point of the article, best summed up as: The hand licking incident brought it home to me in a big way that, yea, verily, it's better to stand there dumbly and just watch it burn while trying to think of something better to do, even though that is extraordinarily stressful and can feel like the worst possible solution. When there is a crisis, it often feels like you should do Something! Anything! Maybe. But sometimes you should do Anything -- except that. Anything but that. So it reinforced my resolve to stand my ground when adults around me were haranguing me to do things I knew would not work and would, in fact, be counterproductive. The response that lots of people don’t see a problem with it is hard to interpret charitably in that context.
- braft 8y ago
  Right. markdown was obviously not saying "children ought to be spanked because it's traditional and currently common," but rather, "you should not be 'amazed' that people feel that way because it is common."
GavinMcG 8y ago
I think you understood the comment to be endorsing spanking, where I read it as just an explanation of why people might assume violence is the answer.
markdown 8y ago
> Arguing from tradition on a tech forum? I've not yet argued a position here; only pointed out that spanking is the norm on planet earth. For what it's worth, I was spanked (IMO responsibly, not abusively) as a child but I do not spank my own child. Parenting is hard. People try their best. I'm grateful to my parents for raising me the best way they knew how.

khazhou 8y ago

Your critique isn't much better, my friend. You are exaggerating his argument terribly ("bleeding people" like old times?) rather than looking at his actual point. He is saying that spanking was, and he claims is, still common. I don't personally have data, but I was certainly spanked, and I never thought it unusual. I hated it and vowed not to spank my own, which I never have. But I have no data on the rest of the world... and don't much feel like researching it anyway.

toufiqbarhamov 8y ago
I’m saying that “it’s normal” in the satatistical sense isn’t even an argument, it’s just an observation devoid of insight or a position. It also misses the entire point of the article, best summed up as: The hand licking incident brought it home to me in a big way that, yea, verily, it's better to stand there dumbly and just watch it burn while trying to think of something better to do, even though that is extraordinarily stressful and can feel like the worst possible solution. When there is a crisis, it often feels like you should do Something! Anything! Maybe. But sometimes you should do Anything -- except that. Anything but that. So it reinforced my resolve to stand my ground when adults around me were haranguing me to do things I knew would not work and would, in fact, be counterproductive. The response that lots of people don’t see a problem with it is hard to interpret charitably in that context.
braft 8y ago
Right. markdown was obviously not saying "children ought to be spanked because it's traditional and currently common," but rather, "you should not be 'amazed' that people feel that way because it is common."

GavinMcG 8y ago

I think you understood the comment to be endorsing spanking, where I read it as just an explanation of why people might assume violence is the answer.

markdown 8y ago

> Arguing from tradition on a tech forum? I've not yet argued a position here; only pointed out that spanking is the norm on planet earth. For what it's worth, I was spanked (IMO responsibly, not abusively) as a child but I do not spank my own child. Parenting is hard. People try their best. I'm grateful to my parents for raising me the best way they knew how.