I really, really hate the idea of hitting kids - or anyone, for that matter! But I have come to the sad conclusion that some people only understand the threat of force and it is the only way that their anti-social proclivities can be deterred. Also, especially in a school situation, it's only the threat of instant retribution that seems to work. I would hate to be a teacher in one of today's schools in which some kids seem to be completely out of control.

On the other hand I remember my own school days in which some teachers used their power to hit wisely, and were able to control their classes with the absolute minimum of force, whilst others were just sadistic bastards who seemed to really enjoy hitting kids. Sadly it would seem that if you give some people any power at all they will abuse it.

I think that this dilemma is a very profound one and our society has no idea how to cope with it. At the moment all we have, as with most ethical questions, is thousands of people jumping on the 'holier than thou bandwagon' and out-competing each other to scream, "hitting people is wrong!!". Of course it's wrong, in most cases, but is it wrong in all cases?