# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 377
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7911 "2026-08-10T15:59:14Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Posting takes more time, anyway. At least it takes me more time. I gotta decide what to say, and then proofread, and then edit… (And yes, i still miss a lot.) Most of us are in the same boat with you in that we ordinarily take time to think about what we say and edit. A few consistently shit out whatever flits off of the random brain cell that moment. Again, we all do it on occasion. That’s not the issue here. Doing it all the time is being a rude jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7912 "2026-08-10T16:00:14Z")
If I wanted thoughtless posts without any sort of reflection and writing without bothering to read anything that anyone else said, I’d just read YouTube comments. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7913 "2026-08-10T16:19:52Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > a toddler being spanked would result in “all the other passengers would have burst into applause and cheers.” That’s pretty horrible. Indeed, though it does bring up memories of the Airplane! scene where the passengers are lining up with increasingly dangerous weapons to use on the hysterical passenger. Ultimately, it’s a terrible situation, a hundred something people are having their lives put on hold because one little kid won’t wear a seatbelt, and their parent is unable to correct their behavior. In the abstract, some kid you don’t know getting a paddling for bad behavior that impacts so many other people… seems sort of reasonable. OTOH, I bet the actual human passengers in the plane wouldn’t have enjoyed watching a little kid getting knocked around on their behalf. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7914 "2026-08-10T16:33:04Z")
I never raised kids so I won’t comment on what is or isn’t appropriate parenting. I’m certain that the reaction to corporal punishment in public wouldn’t go over well to a significant number of people. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7915 "2026-08-10T16:45:10Z")
I was physically abused as a child. As a result, I’ve never laid a hand on my kids. I am not going to applaud a parent doing so to a kid. If you have to strike a kid to get it to behave, you have failed as a parent. That’s no different from hitting anybody else to resolve a conflict, except that now you’re hitting someone you’re supposed to be caring for and who depends on you, and who can’t hit back. And what are you teaching them? That if someone isn’t behaving properly, the best thing to do is hurt them? I’m lucky that I didn’t fall into the same cycle of abuse that apparently ThelmaLou did. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7916 "2026-08-10T16:51:28Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > That’s no different from hitting anybody else to resolve a conflict, except that now you’re hitting someone you’re supposed to be caring for and who depends on you, and who can’t hit back. It is, because there are more ways to communicate with adults than with small children. (And they certainly can hit back.) I regret having spanked my daughter. I don’t regret having spanked my son after he attempted to run into traffic when he was small. I don’t think my parents were wrong to have occasionally spanked me. I do think it’s wrong to spank kids over the age of ~6, or to ever intentionally injure them. Anyway, i think the issue is complicated. But i agree that spanking a kid on an airplane is a really bad idea, for lots of reasons. Including that if the kid was terrified, that wouldn’t have helped any. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7917 "2026-08-10T16:59:24Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > or to ever intentionally invite them. Was “injure” what you meant? (ETA that last paragraph needs a bit of tweaking.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7918 "2026-08-10T17:05:18Z")
Thanks! Yes, that was really bad. Lots of corrections made. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7919 "2026-08-10T17:11:23Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > “Wow, **cladking** is back! Wait, I thought he previously said he WASN’T coming back?”… No, he is now “jumping in somewhere”. > [@What were your favorite lunatic theories on the SDMB?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-lunatic-theories-on-the-sdmb/947021/197): > > I’m probably going to abandon this thread and was really hoping you guys wanted to talk about something I can talk about. But if no one is up to it… I’ll just hang around and jump in somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7920 "2026-08-10T17:16:04Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > The Thtar Thpangled Banner. 🎶 Thtuff like thith ith why I’m here. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7921 "2026-08-10T17:40:19Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > …when I suggested that would be a bad idea on a plane full of people, @ThelmaLou thought that a toddler being spanked would result in “all the other passengers would have burst into applause and cheers.” That’s pretty horrible. There are arguments whether spanking is or is not child abuse, but anyone who would applaud or cheer it is a fucking sadist and sociopath. I wasn’t focused on the suggestion to spank the child-- I was suggesting that passengers would applaud if the problem got solved and the plane could then take off. I skimmed right past the part about the spanking and that wasn’t even in my mind when I posted. For the record I’m not a sadist or a sociopath. Now you can get the fuck out of my face. ---
**Author:** ![Meatwater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meatwater/32/20074_2.png) [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7922 "2026-08-10T18:08:05Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I was physically abused as a child. As a result, I’ve never laid a hand on my kids. Same, which is why I found it jarring how quickly people jumped to physical punishment… and when I look at my kids I think about my childhood and I just don’t get it. Maybe the lead in gasoline really did a number on them. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7923 "2026-08-10T18:23:20Z")
You literally quoted me saying “Yeah, I think spanking a child on a plane full of people with phones is not a viable solution either. They probably would have been removed from the plane, arrested and had their child sent to CPS.” So I don’t believe you “skimmed right past the part about the spanking”. So are you a sociopath, too stupid to remember the 2 sentences you just posted, or a liar? 2 out of 3? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7924 "2026-08-10T19:18:10Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > … when I suggested that would be a bad idea on a plane full of people, @ThelmaLou thought that a toddler being spanked would result in “all the other passengers would have burst into applause and cheers.” That’s pretty horrible. There are arguments whether spanking is or is not child abuse, but anyone who would applaud or cheer it is a fucking sadist and sociopath. I don’t think that’s entirely fair. What do you think the other passengers really care about in this situation? If there was cheering, it wouldn’t be about the spanking, it would be about an end to the disruption that was delaying the flight and possibly threatening to cancel it altogether. It would be about relief that they could finally get underway. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7925 "2026-08-10T19:19:37Z")
You’re being an ass. Her explanation is far more likely than your assumption. Take her at her word. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7926 "2026-08-10T19:29:36Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > The OP in the Unified Field Theorem thread in GD has been around for 11 years! I would have guessed it’s some drive-by crank. Anyway, I have no idea what’s happening in that thread, but thought it made sense here, since that poster has been around for so long. That thread is all kinds of bullshit and nonsense. IMHO that thread should have been closed from the start on the grounds that there’s no actual debate there. I don’t mean to say that the OP is correct, I mean there’s no coherent debate being proposed. The OP just posted a large picture. Skimming it briefly, it seems to be a combination of physics basics that is mostly correct and that everybody knows, decorated with bizarre phraseology that’s pretty much meaningless. None of it adds anything to our knowledge or poses any sort of meaningful question. I vaguely remember **Cladking** from a long thread about the pyramids, where IIRC his contention was that they were built with the aid of geysers or something. That thread became so useless and convoluted that it was eventually closed. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7927 "2026-08-10T19:29:47Z")
Eh, go back and read exactly what happened in the original thread, and tell me again she wasn’t saying the entire plane would applaud and cheer the poor kid getting spanked. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7928 "2026-08-10T19:30:32Z")
But lashing out at her like this is just an exercise in RO. Let it go. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7929 "2026-08-10T19:31:24Z")
If she hadn’t told me to “get the fuck out of her face” and left that off her explanation, I likely would have let it go. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/7930 "2026-08-10T19:31:25Z")
If you flag it for review, I’ll take a look. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=376) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=378)