[jolmg]

It's not necessary, but it might be necessary for the child to believe that's a possibility. It's like armies. The presence and the possibility do most of the work. My grandfather didn't beat his children, but e.g. spanks and being hit on the butt by a belt were permissible by society. He didn't do that AFAIK, but the children knew it was possible, and a single look from him sufficed to get them to stop misbehaving.

He's very loved by them, BTW. I didn't meet him, but they always talk with admiration of him.

[paulryanrogers]

I was hit with a belt as a child. The possibility nor the reality helped make me a better person. It actually has a negative effect on mental health

[jolmg]

It might be like brakes. Some people abuse the brakes for their own self-satisfaction to e.g. brake-check others, others brake hard every time they need to come to a stop (e.g. intersections) because they don't know otherwise, and then others make it seem like the brakes don't even exist as the car glides without disturbance to the point that you might find it normal to have a drink from a open cup throughout. It's always necessary to have the brakes, and always permissible to slam on them in case an emergency is happening, but they're ideally used sparingly and softly. They should ideally be made to seem like they don't exist, even though everyone knows they do.

[seanmcdirmid]

Aren’t you just describing an EV with regen braking and one foot pedal driving? The brake pedal is just for emergencies.

[jolmg]

Dude, you're breaking the analogy. Imagine an ICE car from the 90s. It's not about what technologies you're using. It's about the skill and intent with which you use the brake pedal (considering it the only form of braking).

[seanmcdirmid]

But the problem is fixed now with new tech. Now we just have to worry about heavy rapid acceleration in family sedans instead of bad brake discipline.

[paulryanrogers]

Except it's not like car brakes. Long term studies prove corporal punishment has no benefit and actually causes problems.

How people raise kids should be based on evidence and the scientific method. Not tradition or vibes-based analogies.

https://www.apa.org/about/policy/physical-discipline-childre...

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/corporal-pu...

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradesch...