To Spank or Not to Spank: A Black or White Issue?

August 15th, 2011 - By madamenoire

The New York Times recently featured two Madame Noire contributors in its Room for Debate discussion on spanking and whether or not corporal punishment is a racial issue. LaShuan Williams says “Corporal punishment has long been an acceptable, common form of discipline among African-Americans. Indeed, spanking is as much a part of popular black culture as fried chicken and Kool-Aid.” Alrighty then.

Toya Sharee doesn’t quite agree with that view.  “Black parents today are beginning to recognize more and more that every tantrum can’t be controlled with a time-out or a spanking, and that discipline should be tailored to specific situations for each individual child,” she says in the Room for Debate piece.

Do you think most black parents think they are supposed to spank kids? Do you believe in spanking?

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  • veronica ross

    Spanking been around before slavery….probably since the first child was conceived, Spanking goes back to biblical times also…so its not a race issue

  • veronica ross

    I feel everything you said!

  • veronica ross

    Im a biracial black and Mexican parent and my take on this is I don't know every black parent in the world…so it would be ignorant to make an assumption based on that. My half sister is fully black and has spanked her 8 year old 2 times in her 8 years. She doesn't feel its always necessary. My husband is black and we get into it over spankings because that is his answer to everything with both our children. I was never spanked by either my black father or mexican mother. My siblings were. It depends on the child and the person. Whoopings being a part of black culture is an ignorant stereotype like saying all black people love water melon or all mexicans love tortillas—(my husband and son who is technically 75% black hate watermelon)

  • Coriander

    Judging by amount of negative numbers next to those that don't believe in corporal punishment, people on here are complete hypocrites. Probably the same people that believe that you should ignore babies when they cry. smh.

    If you're going to inflict pain on your child in the name of discipline, why bother having them? You're not patient enough to not resort to violence…. you shouldn't be patient enough to be parents in the first place. smh.

    • ana

      It isn't violence. It is controlled physical discipline, no different from the physical discomfort of standing in a corner for an hour straight with no sitting as punishment.

      Verbal lashings can be incredibly violent and damaging, and also used to lash out so often the kid becomes numbed to the parent's seemingly irrational anger and emotions.
      Verbally abusing children exhibits more impatience and immaturity then setting out rules, explaining punishments, telling a kid when and why they are about to get disciplined, using spanking a method of discipline that supports the behavioral framework the parents have created for raising them.

      Spankings are not the same as beatings. If you continue to conflate the two you'll never see where some on the other side are coming from.

      • Coriander

        It's laying your hand on a child against their wishes to inflict pain. It's all the same.

        • ana

          all discipline is against their wishes
          all discipline is meant to inflict discomfort of some type or another

          except it isn't
          is a calm rational lecture on one's bad behavior the same as being screamed at, denigrated, cursed at, torn down in a most unfathomable manner often with no warning or explanation (too often in public)?

          it is the control and the pattern of discipline that marks the difference between verbal and physical chastisement and violent physical and verbal attacks.
          people who don't understand discipline, boundaries, consistency will screw up their spawn whether their spankings are actually beatings, their lectures verbal lashouts, their timeouts unlawful imprisonment, their no dinners forced malnutrition, their toy/activity denials stimuli deprivation and social isolation, their chores child endangerment, their understanding permissiveness. a good parent has an array of punishments they can tailor to the child and situation that teaches a lesson and enforces rules and good behavioral habits successfully, if they so choose.

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