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Original poster

Do you have a feminist perspective on smacking children?

81 replies

LRDTheFeministDragon · 26/08/2011 23:27

I was just wondering about this one. For me, part of feminism has to do with thinking about the vulnerability of other groups, and perhaps especially about bodily vulnerability. And I hate the idea of smacking children, which I could justify on that basis, but which I must admit I hated long before I had any coherent feminist position.

So I was wondering, if you see yourself as a feminist, how do you feel about smacking children? And do you feel that your position is related to the fact you're a feminist, or do you think the two aren't related?

OP posts:
LowLevelWhingeing · 27/08/2011 00:04

ok, sorry.

i can see how it could grow out of other issues, but I see not smacking as a basic respect thing which applies to everyone, not just women.

are the kind of people who are feminists, the kind of people who are not likely to smack anyway? Is that what you meant LRFD?

Original poster
LRDTheFeministDragon · 26/08/2011 23:57

LowLevel - I probably didn't phrase my OP that well, but that's exactly what I wanted to know ... how many posters would see it as an issue that grew out of the same kind of views that also make them feminists, and how many just think of them as separate issues.

I was just realizing (on another thread), that the people I know who think smacking is perfectly fine also happen to be non-feminists/anti-feminist, and I wondered if the two were connected. I guess I'd like to know if anyone who is a feminist would justify smacking.

OP posts:
HerBeBolloX · 26/08/2011 23:50

If it were the socialist section, we'd be discussing whether there was a socialist angle to it.

HerBeBolloX · 26/08/2011 23:49

It doesn't have to be feminist.

But this is the feminist section, so that's why we're discussing if there is a feminist angle to it.

LowLevelWhingeing · 26/08/2011 23:48

um, you shouldn't hit people.

is my basic understanding of it.

why does it have to be feminist?

HerBeBolloX · 26/08/2011 23:45

I don't think my position on smacking started out being related to my feminism, but it is now...

My gradual conversion to non smacking, was via the "setting boundaries" route. I gradually came to the view that if you want your children to expect their bodily integrity to be respected, then you er, need to respect their bodily integrity. And that ties in with feminist views of women's bodily integrity being pretty much sacrosanct, just like that of men.