# Corporal Punishment or Torture? (Adrian Peterson) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778 "2014-09-18T00:00:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/1 "2014-09-18T00:00:09Z")
Mods, feel free to move,merge, or delete this thread if it’s redundant. Looking at the photos of the “Peterson Boy” injuries, I wonder where corporal punishment “spanking” becomes torture. My gut reaction is that the boy was tortured. I don’t like to argue, and will bow out now, but I’m interested in hearing how other people see it. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/2 "2014-09-18T00:12:01Z")
What does “torture” mean. A decade ago, the word “torture” was used to describe flushing somebody’s Koran down the toilet. Read about some methods of torture used in the Middle Ages or by primitive tribes and get back to us. ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/3 "2014-09-18T00:16:47Z")
My Grandma used to threaten to take a crab apple switch to us when we were misbehaving. She never did, but of course after she gave us the idea we ran out back, cut crab apple switches, and started cutting stripes on each others legs. Switching is a classic Texas tradition, crab apple, peach, or willow switches are the best, they have long limber branches that are nothing less than whips, and they hurt like hell, especially when your big brother surprises you from behind. They always leave a bloody welt. Anybody that would switch a 4 year old’s bare skin has deep personal problems and should never be allowed to be alone with children in the future because they are going to hurt them even worse. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/4 "2014-09-18T04:02:44Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > What does “torture” mean. (Google) torture (noun) 1. the action or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or to force them to do or say something, or for the pleasure of the person inflicting the pain. synonyms: infliction of pain, abuse, ill-treatment, maltreatment, persecution; sadism ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/5 "2014-09-18T04:29:45Z")
He not only stripped the leaves off the branch he beat his son with, he stuffed his mouth with the leaves. That’s torture in my book. ---
**Author:** ![btthegreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@btthegreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/btthegreat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/6 "2014-09-18T06:40:06Z")
That ‘whipping’ was a mighty long one, with a lot of strokes laid to create that many marks up and down the buttocks and legs. this dad was out of control angry to keep it up. That kid was screaming and screaming and screaming. Dad has a problem that a little counseling session on appropriate discipline for a four year old will not cure. this is not about ‘cultural values’ in parenting. its about a disconnect in Dad’s personality. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/7 "2014-09-18T13:23:06Z")
Isn’t this the little boy that had marks on his scrotum? Torture! And abusive, mean-spirited torture at that. I don’t really see the point in whipping a four year old boy anyway. Actually I don’t see the point in **whipping** any child. This isn’t some spanking on the butt to make him not grab a hot stove. This is control, pure and simple. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/8 "2014-09-19T04:47:21Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > A decade ago, the word “torture” was used to describe flushing somebody’s Koran down the toilet. No, it wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/9 "2014-09-19T08:25:44Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Isn’t this the little boy that had marks on his scrotum? Yea this pushed this past a beating to me, the parent who did this was out of control. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporal-punishment-or-torture-adrian-peterson/698778/10 "2014-09-19T13:57:51Z")
Spanking is done with the open hand. Anything else is torture.