VaTerp
Footballguy
I won't go that far in speculating but there are still a lot of things that we don't, and shouldn't, know at this point. People read the texts and see the pictures, evidence that has been ILLEGALY leaked, and form their own conclusions but the legal system we have in this country is in place for a reason and there are professionals investigating the case who I can only hope will get some needed answers. What is the full context of the quotes that outlets have reported from the 4 year old child, what does the mother and Peterson's other children have to say. There is a lot more to this then just seeing some photos and interpreting text messages.
I think we can all agree that what Peterson did was wrong, but there is a lot of room for disagreement on the degree to which he was wrong and what should happen next. We would all do well to remember that our own experiences and biases shape our opinions and that reasonable people can have different opinions on the same situation.
I remember getting spankings and whoopins as a kid. I even remember having to pick out my own switch one time though I don't remember ever getting hit with it. I do remember a few spankings with a belt around the ages of 4/5 to about 7 but I think my dad realized that there were other more effective forms of punishment. The one lasting memory I have of spankings though is when I was about 6 or 7 and my sister, who is 6 years older than me, and I had gotten into trouble for something. My dad had instructed us to both bend over our parent's bed as he was going to spank us with his belt. Without any communication between the two of us, my sister and I both instinctively moved our hips forward to prepare for the spanking and my dad just stopped and laugh. We then all went downstairs to the kitchen and he made us crepes. True story and one that my sister and I talk about to this day, almost 30 years later.
All that to say that I was raised where spankings and whoopins were a part of child rearing. I have spanked my daughter, who is now 6, with an open hand a couple of times and probably threatened her with a belt once or twice, but I've realized that form punishment doesn't work for me and my family so we do things differently. Based on postings a lot of people weren't raised like I was and think that it's wrong, period. So to them Peterson's actions are even more egregious. That's fine but it's still perfectly legal and widely accepted in certain communities.
Again, I think Peterson was dead wrong in this incident. He obviously went too far and has, and will, face some consequences for his actions. But I'm not ready to demonize him yet. I read the texts very differently than many others. To me they portray a guy who disciplining his child in a manner that he thought appropriate at the time and didnt realize the switch was wrapping around and catching the child on the front side or doing as much damage as it was really doing. He said he felt so bad about it afterwards and that he was reconsidering use of the switch and more use of "timeouts" as opposed to physical punishment. Obviously he needs to do more than reconsider. This incident should have shown him that using a switch is no longer appropriate, especially with a 4 year old. He needs to attend some parenting classes and receive counseling and perhaps limited/supervised visits with this particular child for determined length of time. I don't think jail time or a lengthy suspension serve any purpose here based on what I know at this time.
So while what he did was wrong, I'm not going to sit here and say it was criminally wrong. That's what the legal process is for. And at this point I don't think he should be disciplined for the league beyond a game or two. But on the heels of the Rice situation the media is having a feeding frenzy. And the moral crusaders of the internet want to see who can shout the loudest and point their fingers the best and demand their pound of flesh. So that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
The NFL and Vikings are in a tough spot because of the news cycle and there will be calls, as many here have already started, for Peterson to face a lengthy, indefinite, or even lifetime, ban. But in this case, unlike with Ray Rice, I think there will also be much more of a backlash from certain people and groups if the NFL comes down really hard here. They will see it as an overreaching judgement of what many people still believe is a biblically supported way to raise their children. Just as many will see the lack of a stiff punishment as an endorsement of child abuse. Both sides are off base in that regard but it doesn't matter because everyone wants to voice their opinion just like yours truly.
I just think there's a lot more gray here than many want to admit. An isolated act, if that's what this is, of a parent going too far in physical discipline, does not merit the kind of punishment I'm seeing suggested here and elsewhere IMHO.
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