Paddle (spanking)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see paddle (disambiguation)
A spanking paddle is a usually wooden instrument with a long, flat face and narrow neck, so called because it is roughly shaped like the homonymous piece of sports equipment, but existing in more varied sizes and dimensions, (length, width and thickness) used to administer a spanking to the buttocks; it would be too hard and heavy to use safely on the back.
Contents |
[edit] Types and terms
*A spanking paddle can sometimes be called shingle, apparently after its form, or be given names (rather like weapons in military and police units), especially when used in an organisation, that allude to its hot effect on the paddled posterior, such as ass-burner, butt-buster. Educators and children in households where a paddle is used for discipline sometimes award the paddle such nicknames also, such as "Lola's bane," "The 'Board' of Education," and "Mother's Little Helper." (Confusingly, sometimes non-wooden flat devices, such as leather straps, are wrongly called paddles, even in official institutions.)
- For a paddling various terms exist, some referring to wood, the usual material, such as giving wood, the woodshed treatment [from the rural tradition that such punishments were administered in such an annex], or more general terms for spanking (see in that article), for corporal punishment or for discipline such as punishment, a lesson, (rightly) deserved, (hide-)tanning, medicine, therapy etc., and even incorrect terms that strictly speaking refer to a different method of physical punishment, such as a whipping; it is also possible to specify the anatomical target (thus indirectly affirming it is a form of spanking), e.g. arse whupping.
- The terms fraternity or sorority paddle is displayed in pop culture as an instrument of punishment and hazing, though it is most commonly seen as a gift, being like a large plaque or trophy, from a "little brother/little sister" to his or her mentor, their "big brother/big sister" after their initiation.
- Paddles are often made from (expensive but durable) hardwood, such as maple, oak, mahogany or walnut, and finished with varnish or teak oil; plastic causes less pain due to lower density, though some modern paddles are made of Lexan (fiberglass being too likely to break—allegedly that occasionally happens even to hardwood; of course the measurements are also relevant).
- Nevertheless some paddles are sometimes not factory-made but home-made or home-modified objects, e.g. a shortened canoe paddle or baseball bat with one side flatted to half or less, as used on cadets in Columbia Military Academy; especially in domestic discipline (and in BDSM) various pervertibles are used, including the kitchen utensil cutting board (wooden and paddle-shaped) and, of course, the readily-available table tennis paddle.
- As a paddle is flat and inflexible, unlike a cane or whip, it is too blunt to cause stripes—only bruises can result from excessive force—and because of its size it is unfit for a particularly painful 'bulls-eye' in the butt-crack (affording the spankee at least a modicum of protection).
- Generally the physical impact is therefore not greatly increased, only the humiliation, if administered bare-arse, except in the case of the holed paddle, the original, oblong model was known as a Spencer paddle), which causes the victim to blister much faster (these holes may be beveled to reduce the chances of blistering).
- Furthermore a long model (including the handle) increases the leverage and hence the force applied on the punished skin. While a big blade looks frightening, it spreads the force over a larger surface, and so with equal weight it would hit less intensely. A narrow shape can be more cane-like, to concentrate all the force of one or several consecutive blows on a single buttock or parts of it, rather than across the entire behind, to cause more intense pain and worse bruising.
- On the other hand, if the damage allowed is limited, inflicting strokes less intensely allows prolonging the duration of the ordeal of the paddling, as to work over different parts of the butt; prolongation is also possible by pausing, which has the added effect of causing the victim to suffer further mentally (and ponder the offense being punished) while having to wait for the next painful installment.
- However the term paddle is sometimes used for devices of similar dimensions in other materials, often more flexible (even leather), which are therefore generally better called strap etcetera.
- As there is quite a market for paddles in regions where paddlings are still (or again) administered in hazing or education and in family households, as well as in erotic spanking, there are companies which cater for one or more of these markets, often in combination with other items (disciplinarian or not), for fraternity/sorority, home, and erotic use, but most of the terms and names these use are rather arbitrary. There are also various roadside and resort novelty shops that sell paddles (small and large); these are often decorated with humorous motifs and instructions such as "Board of Education," "Heat for the Seat," "How to Paddle Your Wife" and "Frontier Tail-blazer."
- Very similar, though usually not named paddle, can be the wooden 'sword' (often bamboo and usually flattened; otherwise it is rather a cane) used for corporal discipline, mainly on the buttocks, but also on the hands, in the Far East, such as the Japanese shinai (used to train fencing in martial arts), which is common practice in popular, expensive private 'after hours' schools (see [1]).
[edit] Scope of use
It is commonly used in the (mainly Southern and rural) United States as a method of spanking (see that article; i.e. physical punishment on the buttocks), called paddling after it (the corresponding verb is to paddle), especially on children by school educators. (see also cobbing) It is not infrequently found and used in homes to punish children.
[edit] Judicial punishment
Fiction often gives the impression that official corporal punishments (court sentences and additional prison discipline) were generally applied to the back and/or clothed, but in fact in many legal and cultural traditions the bare buttocks were and are more often beaten, even publicly, with a variety of instruments, whip- and multi thong-types as well as wooden implements, including the notorious cane, birch, but also flatter, solid ones that fit the description of a paddle (regardless what name is used, e.g. 'sword'), as shown on this CorPun photo from China circa 1900.[2]
[edit] Social discipline
- Some school traditions enforce(d) rules by paddling offenders. In the University of Missouri until World War II,[3], any freshman found on the 'quad', the most prestigious square on campus, had to offer his 'insolent' posterior for punishment along a paddle line formed by swatting seniors.
- Fraternities and sororities are commonly associated with paddling of members, especially new members or pledges. Due to modern hazing laws and anti-hazing regulations by Greek organizations this has declined. Paddles are still made for decoration and recognition, and can be very ornate, as they are most often used as gifts.
[edit] Other play and traditions
Of course the paddle is also a favorite implement for non-disciplinary spankings, as is often the case with paddle games (such as trading blows) or a paddle machine or spanking pyramid.
[edit] Paddling as academic Punishment in U. S. Schools
The paddle is the most popular implement in US schools that still allow spanking. Typically, with two or more administrators present, the student is told to bend over and receives the prescribed amount of hits (called licks, swats, pops or whacks) of the paddle, normally in an office, not publicly. In a single-gender school, the student may even be told to drop outer clothing and possibly underwear too, heightening the humiliation factor of having to receive the paddling dressed down or even bare bottom (nearly exclusively in private run schools, however). Most urban public school systems in the United States have banned spanking and all other forms of corporal punishments. However, there is a growing trend to restore paddling in some areas in recent years[citation needed]. Some private schools still use corporal punishment. As of 2007, 23 states allow corporal punishment in schools and approximately 350,000 cases of physical punishment are reported in schools each year.[1] Evidence suggests that in the United States, racial and sexual discrimination play a significant role in school corporal punishment, with black students being much more likely to be hit than white students, and male students being much more likely to be hit than female students, for the same infractions.[2]
Through the 1970s, paddling in public U.S. high schools was primarily administered to boys. Since that time, some public high schools that use paddling have converted to a "voluntary" system in which all students, regardless of gender, may choose paddling or some alternative punishment like detention. (Parents are also often given the option of opting out of corporal punishment by informing the school that their child may not choose a paddling.) Under this approach, students choose between a pre-determined number of swats or the alternative punishment. For example, a student with a third tardy may choose a 3-lick paddling or 3 hours of Saturday detention. Under this approach, gender differences in the number of paddlings have diminished, with the highest rate occurring in boys in 9th grade and in girls in the 12th grade.
Over the years, corporal punishment in schools has changed significantly. Formerly, it was common for paddlings to occur all the way through high school in a fairly public place, such as the school hallway, where anyone passing by might witness a student or a group of students being paddled. It was common practice for teachers, administrators or coaches to spontaneously settle discipline problems with a quick paddling, the student being told to bend over and grab his (or her) ankles. The practice of obtaining another teacher or administrator as a witness grew in the 1970s and is now required by most public school districts allowing corporal punishment. Also, the number of swats allowed has gone down over the years, with most schools allowing only up to three (a few schools still allow five or more licks), and documentation of the paddling and procedures regarding the paddling itself have become significantly more rigid by administrators in American schools.
In areas where paddling still occurs, most public high schools in the southern and midwestern U.S. now require the student to assume a bent over position in a secluded office, with his or her hands placed against a wall or on a desk or chair. This position provides support should the student tend to fall forward with the impact of a swat, as well as ensuring that he or she does not attempt to reach back and cover or shield the buttocks with his or her hands during the paddling, which could be inadvertently struck as a result. There are often regulation sized paddles, mostly made of wood. In areas with a school paddling culture, for high school boys there is often a jocular attitude about receiving a paddling, especially if more than one boy is paddled. It is not unknown for coaches or teachers to allow a paddled student to sign the paddle right after it was used on them.
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources and External link
[edit] References
- ^ Owen, S.S. (2005). The relationship between social capital and corporal punishment in schools: A theoretical inquiry. Youth and Society, 37, 85-112.
- ^ Gregory, James F. Crime of punishment: Racial and gender disparities in the use of corporal punishment in U.S. public schools, The. Journal of Negro Education. Fall 1995.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
