1950s newspaper asked should women be spanked

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For every bit of gratitude one might feel for the gifts of the 1950s and 60s — rock ‘n roll and Mad Men, to name a few — there’s a friendly reminder that it’s a good thing those eras are long gone. Take, for instance, the fact that it used to be acceptable to publicly debate whether women should be spanked for bad behavior.

This particular reminder comes courtesy of an old newspaper clipping from the New York Daily Mirror by way of the folks at Dangerous Minds, who posted an image of it.

In the newspaper column, pictured below, readers are asked to bat around what was an apparently an issue back in the day: “If a woman needs it, should she be spanked?”

If the posing of the question wasn’t questionable enough, the responses the paper selected for publication all answered in the affirmative.

“It teaches them whose boss,” one Teddy Gallel wrote in. “A lot of women tend to forget this is a man’s world and a lot of men who who stepped down as boss of a family wish they hadn’t.”

Other justifications included, “Most of them have it coming to them anyway,” which came from one William Davis.

And then there was Frank Desiderio, a barber by trade, who didn’t just approve of spanking a disobedient women “when she deserved it” but offered up the tip that a hairbrush is a suitable tool by which to do so.

“I can’t knock the idea,” he wrote. “In my business, a man sets a lot of store by the results he can get with a hairbrush properly applied.”

Adding insult to injury — per the note at the bottom of what was apparently known as the paper’s “You Said It!” column — the writer of the query earned $10 for having it published.

One Jezebel commenter wondered if the clipping may be some kind of hoax. While Dangerous Minds seems to have been the first to publish, it has since picked up more attention on Buzzfeed and other sites, though none of them include more details on its origins.

Another Jezebel user countered the assertion that the clipping my might be fake by pointing out that, historically speaking, the idea of spanking women wasn’t altogether uncommon: She included a link to The Society Pages, which collected a gallery of images portraying women being spanked in advertisements for films and in comic books

Personally I prefer that to all this political correctness we have today. At least back then people had more freedom of speech.

Not sure that is really true, as far as the law goes...freedom of speech has not been undone. Perhaps maybe now some things that were more socially acceptable in the past aren't anymore so may get a more negative public response. But we still have freedom of speech as written in the constitution.

Also what good is freedom of speech if you have to 'behave' to avoid spankings from your husband or other men in your life...if you mis-speak, or they decide you're getting too loud/obnoxious.'

Even if there was 'more' freedom of speech(which I do not think is the case) you wouldn't have benefited....as you would have been 'kept in line' by your husband or other men in your life under the threat of spankings if you don't. Meaning saying something they don't like or disagreeing with them on a household issue could end with some bruising. Now days you can say what you want, and even angrily confront your husband/S.O if he pisses you off or upsets you and they aren't allowed to hit you(thats assualt) nor is it socially acceptable, certainly seems better now days.

Personally I prefer that to all this political correctness we have today. At least back then people had more freedom of speech.

Not sure that is really true, as far as the law goes...freedom of speech has not been undone. Perhaps maybe now some things that were more socially acceptable in the past aren't anymore so may get a more negative public response. But we still have freedom of speech as written in the constitution.

Well back then, "freedom of speech" just meant that you could say negative things about your government without fear of retribution. Today, people have twisted it, and believe that it literally means you can say anything you want, to anybody you want, and use it as a defense to yell vulgar obscenities in public (for example).

Back then, it was certainly taboo to discuss certain topics, depending on whose company you were in. I know there was a famous saying, that went something along the lines of "never discuss religion or politics".

i think some women who were feeling bored with the love life they had with their husbands may have purposely "acted up" in order to be spanked.