For some reason I thought it had been banned for a while!

I was smacked as a wean, but hardly ever and not very hard.  I've never really considered it to be a bad thing, but the wife and I spoke about it a while back and decided we'd never go down that route with the wee man.

I don't think it's evil, but then again I don't think it teaches the child respect either.  It just seems to be a coping mechanism for the parent, which is fair enough I suppose but I think it sends out the wrong long-term message and reinforces violence as a good thing.  In saying that, I do think violence can be good at times, for example I think it's OK to hit someone back if they hit you.  This isn't the message given by smacking though.

Or if a Coyne-like character is viciously mocking the disabled, violence is sometimes necessary.

Like Peter, I know some who have been damaged by being smacked, although it was definitely to excess and often for no good reason.

In short, I support the ban.  There are other ways to discipline.