Premier Flogs Caning
Madame Lash knows all about it. Teenager Michael Fay felt it four times. It is illegal in USA, Canada, Europe, and much of Africa. Premier Richard Court is daring to bring it back to WA.
He has promised to tell us why in the local press on 27th January.
What new outrage is this ? Flogging, Caning. Whipping. Corporal punishment. The justification of inflicting huge physical pain by one human being on another. Did you know that if the caning is done well enough, the skin is broken and the lower back is scarred for life. Often organs are permanently damaged.
The usual arguments of support for corporal punishment range from the barbaric to the absurd. One line of argument says that flogging acts as a deterrent to other would-be crims.
Unfortunately, research on criminal behaviour in most Western countries generally proves the threat of physical punishment does not work to stop crime.
Another favourite myth is that flogging teaches a lesson so the offender will forever more walk the straight and narrow of civilised behaviour.
Again, stats on recidivism show the opposite, in fact, to be true - the more harshly an offender is treated, the greater the chance of re-offending. Quite likely the re-offending act will be more brutal than the crime first attracting the flogging.
This makes perfect sense to me, because the criminal is providing a clear example of another argument often used in support of corporal punishment - revenge.
You hurt me, I shall hurt you back. Ever watched 3 year olds at play ?
Little Sally gets bumped, she immediately retaliates with a two-handed shove back. Take little Henry's sand bucket and immediately out shoots Henry's nearest arm to whammy the bucket taker.
Most parents and teachers of young children want them to learn non-physically-violent ways of dealing with problems involving other human beings. Why ?
Because civilised adult human beings are supposed to be more enlightened than infants or lesser animals. We are supposed to be reasonable, compassionate, understanding of complex issues of right and wrong, and above all, dignified in how we behave.
How we behave, rather than what we say, is the greatest teaching mechanism in the world. We may hear what the boss says, but we do what he does.
For whatever reason, if we inflict physical violence on another person, we are showing violence as an acceptable way to behave.
The only valid explanation of why we in WA would want to cane, flog, or whip someone else is for reasons of blatant revenge. The old "eye for an eye" retribution. They offended us; we will offend back - harder, if possible. So there. Take that. That will show ya! All it really shows is that we human beings capable of inflicting pain on others. But we have a choice. Do we want a society of increasing violence ?
Some of us believe we have evolved beyond the 3 year old level and can rise above mere physical retaliation.
Why would we in WA want to lower our sense of decency, our dignity, our respect for reasoning, our view that people are greater than base animals?
Why would we want a more violent neighbourhood, a more brutal attitude in the workplace, a less dignified way of treating ourselves, our colleagues and families?
Sure, we have new problems that rise out of a growing and changing society. We have to look at new ways of solving these problems. We need to be clever, not brutal.
We need to define what kind of society we want and then each of us, including the Premier and prison warders, need to conduct ourselves in just and only that way.
Maybe the supporters of corporal punishment have watched too many cartoons or played too many video, footie, or war games, almost all of which use gross physical violence to "win".
Or maybe the supporters of caning are merely seeking revenge for having been caned themselves in school or at home. (They have to do something with all that anger and pain they suffered way back then.)
Or maybe, says Madam Lash, deep deep down in their little souls, some of those supporters may even like to cane and be caned.
Goodness gracious, Mr Premier, surely not! I can hardly wait to read his confession for wanting corporal punishment.
Business News 18 Jan 1996
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