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Article Title:	Rioters Are NOT 'Scum'! They Are The Fatherless
Author of reported comment:	Kenneth Nesbitt
Comment Date:	16:55 on Aug 12 2011
Comment:	Hal, I do not dispute the pattern, it is whether fatherlessness is causal or correlational. I believe it is more likely to be correlational than causal. Further, I do not know, nor I'm sure do any of us have access to at present, what the percentage of rioters came from fatherless families. Statistics in themselves do not prove anything. They lead us to areas to be investigated and we need to be wary of drawing conclusions too early and without robust analyses. Extreme racist organisations use simplistic statistical 'evidence' to highlight their beliefs. For example, if riots involve mainly black people, they conclude that it is being black that is the cause. That is a correlation, not a cause. Other factors are at work. I believe the same to be the case here. Fatherlessness may or may not be a feature of the rioters but it is by no means clear that it is a cause. Paul - Whilst I sympathise, I was never smacked as a child but discipline was extremely firm. I never smacked my three children but discipline was strict and they all grew up to be well-balanced individuals. There are far more effective ways to discipline that inflicting violence. If we HAVE to resort to violence then we've clearly not tried other, highly effective, methods. It is the lack of ANY 'other methods' that could well be an issue here. Not imposing sanctions. Sanctions not followed through when threatened etc. I've seen children smacked and 'disciplined' who go on to engage in criminal activity. Those (like mine) who've not been smacked, going on to be well-adjusted adults. We need to pray for wisdom.

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