Profound Poet

Last night I had a very interesting debate with my Aunt and Uncle about the role of the police force in society, particularly in regards to 'the Youth of Today.'
Ironically the conversation began with them telling me how 'naughty' they used to be as young people, how they had created havoc and been in lots of trouble. My uncle also alluded to a time when his father had beaten him severely for hardly any cause at all, and though he made it clear that he did not blame his father for it (my grandfather is now dead and I supose he does not think it right to hold grudges against the dead), it was quite obvious to all of us how unjust the action had been. The childhood story of another 'mischevious' family member brought us onto the subject of policemen (this particular person had been caught with a friend pinching light bulbs from some condemned building and was frogmarched home by one of the 'ol' bill'. I am glad to say that he has not been in any serious trouble with the police since.)

When we moved onto the topic of young people in today's society and what they need to 'sort them out' both my uncle and aunt asserted that a 'good clip around the ear'ole' or a slap from a policeman is all that is needed.

I strongly contested this idea. We wouldn't condone the use of violence against adults, would not allow policemen the right to wollop a person caught speeding or to go and bash someone for not paying their taxes, so how is it justifiable to hit children who are breaking the law? If you want to start a policy of policmen physically punishing kids, you must also say it's fine for them to hit adults.

No one has the right to physically attack anyone else - that is a generally accepted rule in our society, and one that, on the whole, keeps us safe and free from fear of physical threat. Why should this rule be any different for children who are the most vulnerable people in our society. It is worse, in this way, for an adult to hit a child than to hit another adult. Children are at a serious disadvantage - they are at the mercy of someone older, larger, stronger - someone with total power over them. I thought that the proper definition of someone who hurt people younger, smaller and weaker than them was a bully not a policeman.

When I suggested these points I was told by my aunt that I do not live in the real world while my uncle again reaffirmed that a smack from the local Policeman Plodd would be a really positive, friendly, as seen on the Waltons (if the Waltons kids ever had got into trouble that is) type way of deterring any further 'bad behaviour'. All very well and good but, as I said to my uncle, policemen are just people, they are humans too and humans strike out in anger - not in a friendly but just 'this is for your own good' or 'this is going to hurt me a lot more than it hurts you' manner at all, because that is not the nature of human nature. This argument my uncle aslo refused.

I realised at this stage what the problem was. I may not be living in the 'real world' but my relations are living in the nice but entirely unfounded myth of 'the good old days.' While I might be envisaging an 'ideal world', they are imagining a time where children were simply naughty (never problematic or emotionally damaged) where all coppers were good, kind and trustworthy members of the community and where parents had the absolute respect of their children because they belted them a few times a month - more if necessary - and everyone was as happy as pie.

Truth is - this time simply did not exist and if history has ever taught us anything it is that violence is most definitely not the answer.

Laura