this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 hours ago

Reading all the comments here and then having to deal again with religious assholes who keep claiming that God gis good, god is kind, my imaginary god is everything that I am not

Fuck your imaginary stone age religion. Religion is a mental illness

[–] 6stringringer@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

We lived in a small town suburb of Memphis in Mississippi in the 1980’s. I’d heard about what some of the Sisters did to students from friends that weren’t southern baptists. I proceeded to call them out at the Mall. I was young and have no idea if those nuns were even associated with the Catholic school I’d heard horror stories from. My mom was so apologetic. This husky & tall for his age ten year old ginger headed Martin Luther of my own design delivered my own Theses. I felt badass. My mother wanted to strangle me. Forty plus years later she shares it as the funniest thing I ever did as a child.

[–] swordgeek@lemmy.ca 8 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

My dad had his hand smacked and his fingers taped together to force him to write with his right hand. This was in the 1950s in public school in Canada.

When I was in high school in the 1980s, we had a teacher who threw chalk at us.

So yeah, it happens.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 hours ago

I was changed from left- to right-handed by the Calgary school board in 1979 or so.

In secondary school my chem teacher would definitely throw chalk if you weren't paying attention. It's better than chalk brushes.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 11 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Oh yeah, a lot of old Catholics are terrified of nuns for that reason. It was always fun to shock them by saying how my school's nun was nice. The nuns especially targeted the sin of left handedness

[–] notgold@aussie.zone 1 points 11 hours ago

"Left hand is only for wanking" - Ridicule 19:5

[–] slothrop@lemmy.ca 50 points 20 hours ago

Child of the '60s here.
It's real; I lived it. Grade school, it was nuns. Beaten up by priests (as well as most of the other teachers) in high school.

[–] AstralPath@lemmy.ca 23 points 18 hours ago

Dude, the nuns at my dad's elementary school beat him and traumatized him so much that he has PTSD.

Its pure evil to abuse a child. No surprise that agents of the church took no issue with such evil behaviour.

[–] remon@ani.social 43 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (3 children)

That was a real and common thing, not even just in catholic schools.

[–] scytale@piefed.zip 20 points 20 hours ago

Yeah, my kindergarten teacher didn't like me using my left hand to write for some reason, so slapped my hand with a ruler. Now I write with my right hand.

[–] db2@lemmy.world 8 points 19 hours ago

There are still some southern states (because ofc) that legally allow teachers to use corporal punishment at their discretion.

[–] FoolsQuartz@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Yeah. Although, every baby boomer who's talked to me about catholic school seems really traumatised by it

[–] BassTurd@lemmy.world 20 points 19 hours ago

My mother told me a story about how once my uncle was in school and the teacher told him to go out and cut a switch, which is just a thin stick good for whipping with. He cried, went out and got one, came back, and it turned out it was for someone else. This would have been the 60s or 70s maybe. My mom also mentioned that the typing (typewriter) teacher would smack fingers with a ruler when mistakes were made. This was a public school.

So yea, definitely a real thing that happened.

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

In El Salvador, the nuns were way more hardcore than just using a ruler.

Once one made my dad kneel on raw rice while holding up books for half an hour.

My mom has to do something similar too but with salt outside in the sun, but for a bit less time.

[–] frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 21 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Yes, they beat my grandfather for trying to be left-handed

[–] Seleni@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

My grandmother too.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 5 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

That's so absurd it would be funny if it wasn't so cruel

[–] Pringles@sopuli.xyz 8 points 15 hours ago

A friend of mine is also left handed and I only found out when we started a game of darts and he switched hands. Under communism writing with the left hand was not allowed for some reason.

[–] frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 8 points 15 hours ago

No worries, they beat my dad in public school for the same thing. My mother told my kindergarten teacher to fuck off when she suggested my left handedness needed to be corrected (in 1989).

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 28 points 21 hours ago

During the 80s there was a big push to not abuse children, but before that, it was very common.

[–] nocturne@slrpnk.net 26 points 21 hours ago

It is real. My mother went to an all girls catholic school. She said the wrong answers as well as bad behavior warranted being whacked with a ruler. Things were even worse if you are sinister.

[–] AnchoriteMagus@lemmy.world 21 points 21 hours ago

I don't know about now, but when my parents were in school it was definitely very common. There is still no law against corporal punishment in private schools in the US, and only 33 out of 50 states have laws against it in their public schools.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 17 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

I went to various Christian schools and had one teacher bend me over her knee and paddle me. But I was already taller/bigger than her. So ironic that I ended up liking short women and spanking. Like, what are the odds!?

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago

Very high given you were spanked by short women as a kid

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 14 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

When I was in elementary school in the 70s in rural Virginia the teachers would hit you with rulers all the time. The principal had a paddle that resembled a cricket bat that he used.

I don't know if schools allow corporal punishment still.

[–] swelter_spark@reddthat.com 4 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

My principal had that, too! He kept it hanging on the wall in his office, and students could see it when we walked by. It scared me, but I never saw or heard of him using it on anyone.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

Yeah mine kept it hanging on his wall as well and he would walk around with it sometimes when the buses were leaving.

I am sure he did all that as a deterrent to prevent bad behavior.

[–] m0darn@lemmy.ca 8 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

Me friend recently told me she was caned (rapped with a ruler to be more specific) on the back of her hand for writing on the chalkboard with her left hand.

1989 Anglican Sunday school in rural Canada. They never went back, and apparently the place was shutdown not too much later.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

plus all that buggery. Nuns absolutely creeped me out, I have never met one that wasn't mean and miserable.

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

I did. She "used to be a Lesbian", but wasn't able according to her.

Anyhow, she was very cheery and happy living there apparently.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 14 hours ago

Wait do the nuns bugger? Thought that was only the preists.

[–] Otherbarry@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 5 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

Catholic schools in the 80's did not have corporal punishment (certainly not the one I attended for a few years). I think that was something from an earlier time period.

[–] caseyweederman@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 hours ago

Happened to me in the 90s. Private Christian school in a big city.

[–] lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world 7 points 20 hours ago

in my country, corporal punishment in school was abolished by law in 2004. i did elementary in the 80s, but the strap was not used that i can recall. kids were threatened with it, but i don’t think anyone got smacked. however, many people of my parents’ generation have told me that the strap was extremely common. my father in law used to get strapped for speaking german at school, among other things (saskatchewan, 50s / 60s).

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 18 hours ago

the forced sodomy of boys continued.