The Field Marshal

Bullying. But Where's the Corporal Punishment? This must be the season for explosing bullies. After reading about the 'Happy Slapping' incident, the floodgates are now open. Bullies beware! If you have bullied someone in the last 14 days, chances are you will become a mini celebrity overnight thanks to our zealous reporters at Straits Times. I do not now what's more depressing. To read about the bullies that roam our streets. Or to be concerned that the most exciting piece of local news is about bullies. While the saying goes that "no news, is good news", I must say that such news are wearing our gray matter down. My mind hungers for insights and ideas that help the nation to grow. Perhaps the agenda at ST is really to help the nation grow by wedding out the bullies? Going back to the issue proper, I read with horror, in reality more like mild boredom, that another kid being bullied story is published in today's ST. Titled "Pupil hurt 3rd time by school bully", the most notable part of the story is the actions taken by the school - Zhangde Primary. Here's an extract, or most of the article, which I found mildly interesting. The school responded by making the boys apologise to each other and writing a detailed report of what happened, but Zhijie's parents feel that this was insufficient punishment. 'All we got was a mumbled apology after the vice-principal asked him to say sorry,' said Mr Chia, a retiree. He wants the bully to get a harsher punishment - caning, or counselling at least. But the vice-principal of Zhangde Primary School, Mr Chong Chin Hong, feels that making the boy reflect on his actions will help him learn. I have to agree the somewhat aged dad of the kid being bullied. Call me an ageist, but I can't help but wonder what's a 68 year old guy have a 12 year old kid. Boggles my mind. That's another red herring, but perhaps the baby bonus is finally paying off. Going back, I totally agree with Daddy Chia that the bully of his boy should have gotten harsher punishment. The school, more correctly, the school's vice-principle, has not heard of the old adage, "spare the rod, spoil the kid". Hope I got that right. This wave of a softer touch, a la western ideals, disciplinary mindset sweeping across asia is doing our young ones more harm than good. Look where softer touches have gotten US and Europe. Stabbing and gun violence are norms in the school environment. It's so bad that schools actually put up signs to 'discourage' kids from bringing weapons to school. Thankfully, our firearms laws in Singapore are pretty stringent. Bring a weapon, especially a firearm, and see what the authorities will do to the kid. Western countries should take a leave or two out of our penal code. Here's another interesting extract. 'It was a scuffle between two boys. One was punched, the other scratched,' said Mr Chong. 'Writing a report will enable them to reflect, then react positively to similar situations in the future. If we are able to achieve that with reflection, it is definitely favourable to meting out heavier punishment.' Would writing a report release the anger and pent up frustration in the kid who eventually blew up by whacking Chia Jr? If writing reports are so effective, why hasn't the Singapore Prisons implemented it as a rehabilitative therapy for our violent criminals? Why is the rotan still use with tender loving care on the butts of criminals? There must be a reason why coporal punishment is still utilised in our prisons. It either means that it is effective, or that our prison officers are sadistic. I choose to believe in the former. I can imagine reading the following in the kids' reports. Sir, I am sorry for hitting Ah Kow on the head. I shouldn't have done done that. But Ah Kow is such an asshole. Always refusing to let me copy his homework. Ah Kow is also such a show-off. Everyone knows he has an IPOD, but no need to show it to me, a Creative Zen user, everyday mah. Bloody hell. The more I think about it, the more I think Ah Kow deserves it. I think I will give him another wallop tomorrow. Make sure he doesn't show me his stupid shiny apple again. Oops. Can I apologise for tomorrow's corrective action for Ah Kow. Signed Your humble student, Ah Buai Song Jokes aside, I can still remember that as a kid, if I did something wrong, or simply stupid, up come the magin wand in my parent's hands. With a hiss the wand lands on the most exposed parts of my bodies. The arms and legs mind you. The red welts apart from teaching me that a particular action is wrong, also serve notice to my friends that I just kena from my parents. Pain and shame became part of growing up and learning the right things in life. Blessed are those kids who learn without the cane. Hope I get one like that in the future. But I believe caning was a norm during my adoloscent and teenage years. As parents got more educated, they think everything can be rationalised by counselling the kids. Look where rationalising has gotten parents in the UK, if you have watched Super Nanny. Nowhere. Parents get abused, physically and emotionally. Or kids just feign contriteness and go back to their good old ways again. I dare propose to the world that the time has come. It's time to dust off the cane's from our storerooms. The reign of the shrinks is over. It's time for a new age. The age of the rod!!! Despite all this tough talk, I, as a potential future parent, will only utilise the rod only as the last resort. I am not going to be a rod-toting parent caning my kid from morning till night. I am no sadist. I am just asking for a more balanced approach to the disciplinary regime. Counselling and caning should go hand in hand. Here's my advice to parents, or wannabe parents. Cane first. Rationalise later. No pain, no gain.