The topic becomes immediately apparent from the well-worn platitude. The debate is always whether smacking kids is wrong or right to do and justified by this vacuous tagline. The discussion about adults hitting kids, is always moralistic and loaded with judgements about other peoples' parenting choices and socio-economic group.
Punishment comes from religion. Only Allah (subhana wa ta ala) can punish. Can I punish any other human being whether they are smaller or bigger than me? No. How is that going to work uh? I considered what you did wrong to me so I can smack you? Why not? Maybe because you don't belong to me and I have got no right to even put my hands on you. Well a kid doesn't belong to anyone either, no-one owns them. You might have gave birth to them but that doesn't mean you own them. They are not your property, they are a human being that should be respected no matter how old they are. What is the difference between a old person who has dementia, someone who is adult with the mental capacity of like 5 years old and a actual kid? People will say well, two are adults. True, but their capacity to understand and reason is seriously impaired! That's the argument a lot of people give for smacking kids is that kids lack the capacity to be reasoned with. So a small tap on the hand is ok for dementia patients who often say F and C, spit, kick, bite and scratch then? Of course not.
RESPECT & DIGNITY...
...are human rights that are not made irrelevant depending on the person's age. They don't weaken authority as some seem to think, they are character driven and can only serve to strengthen authority when implemented. Respecting a person, no matter how small, doesn't mean you pander to their every whimper and transform yourself into some placenta-munching, soft-speaking applauder of poo and pictures. Crikey save me from that!
It just means that you treat that person like you want to be treated.
You and I make mistakes. We do stuff wrong on purpose but somehow when we do it, it's understandable. There are mitigating circumstances that help us to feel justified in our deficiencies.
Yet when someone with less ability to self-regulate does a wrong thing we seem to think it's ok to physically put our hands on them.
I find it so weird that Islam permits husbands to physically chastise their wife, which I understand more, and other people alarm at that. While kids get little outrage even though they're smaller and inexperienced in their life choices and consequences!
This world is seriously messed up!
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