Not Quite Weekend Reads: Spanking Effects, Children and Online Privacy, and Shutting Down “Locker Room Talk”

Louis Doench October 31, 2016

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Happy belated Weekend Readers. My usual Sunday Morning blogging time was interrupted by my beloved Cincinnati Bengals travelling to jolly old England for a 9:30 AM tilt against the Washington Racist Names. Apropos to the setting at Wembley Stadium the two teams played to an exciting 28-28 draw that left this fan mentally exhausted for the rest of the day. But we’ll make up for it with extra awesomeness today!

New research is diving into the specific ways that being spanked as a child affects your future behavior. Hint, it’s not for the good.

Despite the above, it is still legal to hit children in Canada (and the US,) and it shouldn’t be so.

Mirah Curzer looks back at the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Remember Me” and reflects on it’s radically feminist message.

Maybe we were wrong about limiting children’s screen time?

An open letter from educators to Republican nominee, Donald Trump… STOP THE BULLYING!

Two excellent pieces came across my browser this week about the intersection of our increasingly interconnected social media lives and the privacy rights of our children. NPR’s Tara Haelle examines how we can respect our children’s bodily autonomy by asking their permission before reflexively sharing their image on Facebook.

Meanwhile Whit Honea explores similar ground and contrasts our current world with the melancholy story of A.A. Milne and the real life Christopher Robin in “The Blog at Pooh Corner.”

The last thing Wanda Urbanska’s Mama did before dying was vote for Hillary Clinton. Who’s chopping onions in here?

Science can tell us the best way to confront the kind of sexist locker room talk that Donald Trump thinks is just guys being guys,

At the outset, Berkowitz says many people never speak up about lewd talk because they assume they are the only ones who are offended by it.

“Research shows that most people are uncomfortable by these comments, including men. But most people don’t know that most people aren’t comfortable,” Berkowitz tells me. “That’s important because if we are in a group and I make an inappropriate comment and you’re upset, your reaction may be influenced by whether you think other people are also upset.”

So in the face of uncertainty, he recommends asking others — bystanders on the street, co-workers, or friends, depending on the situation — how they perceive the talk or the action. “It’s important to know you are not alone in your concern,” he says.

Even if you find out you are the only one who’s offended, he says it’s still worthwhile to have a conversation. And in that case, ask third person.

“We’re talking about norms: what people say is acceptable,” he says. “We’re not assuming that everyone agrees, but trying to determine if it’s a norm so that you have accurate information to base your response on.”

And finally something fun and weird and maybe a little disturbing. Dom is a 6 year old who loves to draw. Dom’s Dad is a photographer who brings those drawings to life. They have an Instagram. It is awesome.