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| Joined: | Mon Nov 21st, 2005 |
| Location: | California USA |
| Posts: | 6399 |
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My daughter informs me that she is being punished for the acts of an unknown individual. I try to explain to her the concept of collective punishment.
She digests the information and returns days later with another example of that, as yet, foreign concept i.e. collective punishment.
This time the perpetrator is identified.
My daughter says:
“What the teacher does not seem to understand is that the ‘rule’ to keep quiet amounts to a rule to make noise.”
I listen.
“Knowing that silence will be punished at the slightest outbreak of noise inspires us to talk since we will be punished anyway.”
I respond:
That is not the worst of it. What is being done, in effect, is the empowerment of the least able to keep quiet. That noisy person can punish everyone at will. He or she already has a need to talk and now he or she has the added incentive to wield the power of punishment. The “rule” is that there will be no “rule” whatsoever. In fact the rule is to have no rules. The power to punish is given to the least likely to follow rules. Do you see this happening?
My daughter nods as if a light bulb goes off above her head.
I continue:
If you feel like punishing anyone and you don’t care if everyone is also punished, then, all you have to do is start talking; even if you have nothing to say.
My daughter reports the following day:
"My teacher has changed the rule."
I wonder. Is it that tough to figure this stuff out?