There are a lot of issues that I'm "eh" about. I wish I had more passion; I wish I wasn't so apathetic. I want to have a strong opinion about something and valiantly defend it. Most of the time, though, I can see both sides. I acknowledge both sides have points, and then I stand on the fence.
Fence sitting allows you to acquire a lot of information. Occasionally, I actually form an opinion after taking it all in. More often than not, I feel like I'm the person that can write both sides of the pro/con list for each option.
A few issues I am passionate about. Passionate enough to not really understand the other side and what they're thinking. Are they even thinking?
The topic is....spanking.
I was shocked to find that there are people I know who spank their kids. They don't live around here, or if they do they don't admit it. They are in a different region of the country than the west coast.
I try to be all "however you want to raise your kids is cool." I try, but I don't succeed well when it comes to spanking. WHY do people think it's okay to hit your kids? When does hitting resolve anything? It's exerting brute force over someone who can't defend him/herself anywhere close to your ability. It's teaching that hitting is okay. It's barbaric.
I would like to understand the rationale that spanking advocates have. Yet I can't get over being appalled by it to even conjure up a reason why people do it. And what's a nice way to ask, "Why do you choose to spank as a punishment?" It totally gives away your thesis, you make the person defensive, and it's just bad all around.
So instead I sit and wonder why people make that specific parenting choice. I'm too afraid to ask. There's not a lot in the way of resources about "why it's okay to spank your kids." Even if I read an article about it, I would probably be lost because I would be coming at it from a completely different angle.
My thesis: You should not spank your kids (or anyone else's).
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