Hajime this is very interesting
I think we all have neoliberalism as an economic system though some of us are trying hard to reform this
However Confucianism sounds as if it has something in common with communism! (from your description)
I am trying to analyse our own structure in the UK
We have a highly individualistic society and religion plays much less part, but there are strong family values, which is perhaps similar to familism - but conformity is a strong ethic in this country and people don't like to stand out as being different from the norm
I think once it was accepted in society that parents shouldn't hit their children, then there wouldn't be a need for a penalty - the problem is that parents would be ashamed to hit their child in public but might continue to do so in the home. So initially at least, there would need to be a penalty of some kind.
It would be interesting to hear from other countries where a ban has been instituted, on their experience.
Tony
CHIFA profile: Tony Waterston is a retired consultant paediatrician who worked mainly in the community in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He spent 6 years working in Zambia and Zimbabwe and directed the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Diploma in Palestinian Child Health teaching programme in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was an Editor of the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics and is on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Social Pediatrics. His academic interests are child poverty, advocacy for child health and children's rights. He is currently the lead moderator of CHIFA. www.chifa.org <http://www.chifa.org/> He is also a member of the HIFA Steering Group. www.hifa.org/people/steering-group www.hifa.org/support/members/tony
Email: Tony.Waterston AT newcastle.ac.uk
