[Pierre]

In summary :

Bullies do not necessarily beget bullies, violence does not necessarily beget violence...

I went to a school where I was taught to shoot at age 11, how to set traps etc at 12., that has not made me a gun toting killer, but it has taught me self discipline and respect for others.

Corporal punishment works, but only if used sparingly and not as a standard.

Would I smack my kids (as and when we have them) ?
YES, but only if they had failed to respond to other forms of punishment.

It is all about moderation.
If all you do is hit someone, they will see it as normal, and feel that no matter what they do they will get hit, so they might as well do whatever they please.
A balance of positive and negative must be achieved, but IMO (note: this is MY OPINION) there is a place for corporal punishment in the modern society.

Couldn't agree more, a well balanced post that is hard to disagree with.