It’s hard to understand why people are reacting so strongly to the recent video showing a Judge beating his daughter. Over 90 percent of parents punish their kids by inflicting physical pain, so I’m not sure why everyone is pretending to be so, so shocked.
Is it because the girl in the video is a teenager? 85 percent of adolescents have been physically punished by their parents - and the video example is far less violent than most of the examples that have been shared with me.
Is it because a belt is used? 30% of parents openly admit to hitting their kids with a belt, a stick or some other “hard object.” (Imagine how many more do not openly admit it!)
Is it because the man is angry? More than half of parents admit to hitting their children out of frustration and anger.
Is it the hypocrisy? The Judge recently claimed that he apologized for losing his temper, so no harm was done. Did he accept apologies from the accused in his courtroom?
Naturally, the outrage is focused on the Judge; the girl’s mother, who supports and inflames her husband, hits her daughter as well and demands that she lie down and “take it like a woman,” is barely mentioned.
I can’t help but think that the ‘shocked’ reaction of the general public is just a little bit precious. It’s like the pompous posturing of a veteran politician who claims to be ‘shocked’ about a Congressman’s corruption, or the infamous Captain Renault in ‘Casablanca’:
Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money] Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much. [aloud] Everybody out at once!
Most parents hit their kids - and when the kids are much younger and more vulnerable than the poor girl in this video - so why is everyone so shocked? Are they pretending that such practices are somehow outside the norm? Statistically, when something is practiced by 90% of the population, claiming to be be shocked by it is ridiculous. I mean, 90% of Italians are Catholic - can any Italian claim to be ‘shocked’ when he runs into one?
Just about everyone knows someone who hits their kids. How many people have stood up for these poor beleaguered children? Have you? How many people have talked to parents about the civilized and civilizing alternatives to hitting defenseless little children? Have you? If you’re not exposing and opposing child abuse, you’re an accomplice.
I want to say to those who are ‘outraged’: please - don’t pretend to be shocked by the commonplace. You look ridiculous and guilty.
People are also upset because this man is a Judge. “How can this man be a Judge and use violence?” - to which a sensible person can only respond with: whuh-huh? I mean, for heaven’s sake - what do people think Judges do all day? They dispense violence, usually against peaceful people that no one is complaining about. Recreational drug users, sex workers, nudists, people with satisfied customers but without the right permits - victimless ‘criminals’ of every description. This is what Judges do:
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More than 350,000 people are currently in US jails for consensual ‘crimes.’
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An additional 1,500,000 are on parole or probation for such ‘crimes.’
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More than 4 million will be arrested in any year for committing such ‘crimes.’
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Governments spend more than $50 billion in punishing people for ?crimes’ that do not physically harm the person or property of another
What ‘crime’ is this Judge hitting his daughter for? He found her using an internet file sharing program. Most people view his assault as a violent overreaction. How so? Ask yourself this: if you were facing arrest for copyright violations, would you rather have a few minutes of being hit by a belt through your clothes, or an arrest, a trial, fines, jail time and a permament record? What this Judge does to his daughter for copyright violations seems almost civilized compared to the intellectual property laws Judges regularly enforce in their courtrooms.
Whenever you support a law against some peaceful activity, the results are a lot worse than what you see in this video - and they go on and on, for countless years, and for millions of people.
My guess is that there are two kinds of people who are reacting strongly to this video - the innocent - those who were hit by their parents - and the guilty, who hit their children, and see in this video a true reflection of their own brutality.
The anger of the victims is real, and just. The ‘shock’ of everyone else is fake - and as self-serving and manipulative as the original abuse.
This is what violence looks like. So let’s stop using it - as parents, citizens, and human beings striving for decency, reason and virtue.