Things that are not all they're cracked up to be

[pastoralguy]

Beat them senseless, that's the way to do it

Old women?!

I think you'll find various individuals will be quite upset...

[vinteuil]

Political parties.

... any kind of party,

[Alain Maréchal]

You said that teaching children about the "realities of life" should involve inflicting pain on them. This I find disgusting. That's all.

I didn't. You may have read what you thought I wrote, not what I wrote

[Roslynmuse]

Cadburys Dairy Milk now the old chunky rectangles have had the corners rounded off.

[Richard Barrett]

I didn't. You may have read what you thought I wrote, not what I wrote

Let's look at what you wrote then. In what way is this

"... corporal punishment of children by parents, teachers and indeed other adults was considered good for them. I am of the opinion that the sooner children are taught to behave in public and that they cannot have what they want, when they want it, the sooner they will be prepared for the realities of life"

not advocating teaching children about those "realities" by inflicting pain on them?

[Alain Maréchal]

Let's look at what you wrote then. In what way is this

"... corporal punishment of children by parents, teachers and indeed other adults was considered good for them. I am of the opinion that the sooner children are taught to behave in public and that they cannot have what they want, when they want it, the sooner they will be prepared for the realities of life"

not advocating teaching children about those "realities" by inflicting pain on them?

Nowhere in my words can you find that I am advocating the use of corporal punishment, as opposed to the fact that it WAS considered acceptable. Did you not see the full stop, which indicates a new sentence and a new thought? This in no way detracts from my opinion that children should be taught to behave in public.

I think I will retire from this discussion; it taxes my English.

[MrGongGong]

Nowhere in my words can you find that I am advocating the use of corporal punishment, as opposed to the fact that it WAS considered acceptable. Did you not see the full stop, which indicates a new sentence and a new thought? This in no way detracts from my opinion that children should be taught to behave in public.

I assumed that your second sentence followed on from the first.
Maybe i'm daft to assume that's what happens with writing?
I'm sure the linguists will be along in a minute to sort it all out

[Alain Maréchal]

They may be, but I'm writing in my second language, and I'm finding the nuances of this a strain. I've been in trouble in this forum before.

[Richard Barrett]

They may be, but I'm writing in my second language, and I'm finding the nuances of this a strain. I've been in trouble in this forum before.

Sorry to have misunderstood you in that case. I still wonder what the mention of corporal punishment was doing there at all.

[Alain Maréchal]

I was explaining, in answer to your question, how I became middle-aged and respectable. I was not suggesting that it be a model. That is in your reading.

[teamsaint]

I think, if one wanted to,that one could make a convincing argument that adults behave worse than children.

And when I say adults,I would include both those with and without children.

Think politicians, bankers, drugs barons, football agents, and so on and so on.....

[Richard Barrett]

politicians, bankers, drugs barons, football agents, and so on and so on.....

... respectable middle-aged men, most of them...

[Beef Oven!]

Fettuccine

[Richard Barrett]

Fettuccine

Him too.

[Nick Armstrong]

Blimey... I go away for a few hours and return to see how my new jovial little pre-Bank Holiday thread is going, and....