Thomas, you are correct about the legal definition of assualt. I would
contend that it did not seem to be as if Heinlein's heroines actually
feared that the hero would carry out his threat, whereas Stephanie would
contend that they acted "cowed," or submissive.
However, I disagree with your comments regarding children and
spanking. I am strongly against child abuse, but spanking is not
necessarily child abuse and the dividing line is fairly simply. Though some
might consider it cruel, parents sometimes might be called upon to
deliberately inflict pain (i.e. a spanking) on a child as a way of
disciplining him or her. Child abuse is when an adult (or older child)
inflicts injury--not just pain, but leaving lasting marks. As someone who
has worked with many obnoxious, undisciplined adolescents, I begin to
wonder whether parents have abrogated their vital role in teaching children
discipline and respect. Children in this country need guidance, but
according to research, not only are parents increasingly reluctant to
spank, but increasingly are uninvolved with children in their teenaged
years when they are often in most need of guidance. Extrapolating some of
the problems I currently see means we are in for a dreary future of young
men and women growing up ill-prepared to hold down jobs or preparing
themselves for skilled positions at a time when the unskilled labor market
is decreasing while the population is increasing. Overly strict and overly
permissive parents ("We've tried nothing and we're fresh out of ideas")
both produce problem offspring.
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