The Value of Discipline

It been some time since I published a post, and given the lack of personal ideas, I decided to do the response to De Maitre’s post on juvenile delinquents and the value of boot camps.

There are many reasons for deviance, or rebellion, whatever you call it. It depends on the perspective you take.

If you think the kids are innocent, you can say that it is the result of poor upbringing, or bad peer influence.

If you think the kids are guilty, you can say that is the result of their desire to challenge authority, or their lack of self awareness.

Sociologists have long been debating the causes of deviance. Some argue that it’s the lack of opportunity for youths to gain self-satisfaction, or to achieve social expectations, while some argue that it’s rebellion against the social structures and institutions they feel is unfair (like the school, or the family).

De Maitre has pointed out the East-West divide in the concept of parenting. I think it ultimately boils down to the method of management. Eastern societies did not have a culture of challenging authority, because such societies treasure consensus over conflict. They accept social hierarchies, and believe that social order can be maintained when everyone does his/her part in maintaining that relationship.

Here’s how Confucius defined the relationship:

Children must be filial to their parents, likewise parents must love their children. Subjects must be loyal to their lord, and the lord must treat his subjects well.

So here you see a two-way relationship.

It’s very different in the West. Partly because of their idea of personal freedom, and partly because of legislation, the treatment of family relations is very different. There is very little control, just as the government does not overtly control the behaviour of its citizens.

But there is one crucial difference. The government has the “monopoly of violence” – jails, laws, etc, which the average family does not have. The state deals with its deviants by the use of law, what does the family have for its own deviants?

Now on to boot camps.

In my opinion, boot camps are helpful, but there’s no guarantee it’ll work.

Youths need some form of regimentation. They need to learn how to do things in an acceptable way, and understand that they can only gain the acceptance, the recognition they so desire by following the rules.