[lit-ideas] Re: English Pubic Schools
- From: John McCreery <john.mccreery@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 07:51:44 +0900
On 2/17/06, Paul Stone <pas@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
> Of course beating anybody is dumb and counterproductive, you will only
> breed hatred, but 'zero tolerance' is a stupid notion and chronically
> misapplied to things that need discretion. We're talking about discipline,
> not beatings.
>
Equating "discretion" with the judgment I mentioned in my last message
I couldn't agree more. I will only add that appeals to "slippery
slopes" and "100% rationality" strike me as juvenile. Fear of slippery
slopes leads to paralysis that can, in fact, be deadly when actual
slippery slopes have to be traversed. And only fools expect 100%
rationality; the question is keeping anger and rage within reasonable
limits--an art no child will ever learn if tantrums are not dealt with
firmly. A child is, moreover, far more likely to be abused by a parent
who has never learned this art themselves and coddles until blind rage
overwhelms his or her inhibitions.
--
John McCreery
The Word Works, Ltd.
55-13-202 Miyagaya, Nishi-ku
Yokohama 220-0006, JAPAN
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