Thread by @wmnjoya

Supporters of caning in schools are traumatized Kenyans proving that caning in schools is demeaning and doesn't work.

A thread.

Most of the people supporting violence in schools have nothing to say other than that kids deserve it. They have nothing to do except throw bile, trantrums and insults. That's already a sign.

But it points to another sign of trauma.

It's what Catherine Liu, art and media scholar, calls defeatism a refusal to think, and the replacement of contradiction with difference. We who believe in dealing with contradictions say "your position contradicts mine," and we explain our position so as to convince you of it.

We who name contradictions have explained that "indiscipline" comes from the contradictions of the school system. We expect from the school system what we don't invest in it. We expect excellence from our children while providing them with mediocrity.

But those who are obsessed with difference say "you make me unconfortable with your point of view, because I am different from you. So I do not need to talk to you, I do not need to explain my position or persuade you."

So the "difference" people say: "I turned out ok after being caned. Aka, the issue isn't violence, it's about difference of opinion. So since I support caning, you should support caning not because you are convinced or it's right, but because you must respect my difference."

This response is a form of narcissism. It's essentially saying "you think differently from me and that makes me uncomfortable, so make me comfortable by saying that you accept me as I am." It's an inability to deal with human beings who are not you, which means all human beings.

That narcissism comes from the trauma of the school system. The school system punishes kids for being themselves and not fitting into a box determined by the exams or the state. Each time you fail, you're punished for being stupid, each time you pass, unajiringa.

So when supporters of school violence hear an opinion different from theirs, they remember their school trauma when they were punished for being different from what was system expected. So they react and demand acceptance of difference, rather than discuss the contradiction.

So when Kenyans say that kids are indisciplined and refuse to see that we can't get disciplined kids from a violent school system, what they are really saying is "talking about the violent school system makes me uncomfortable. It makes me fear punishment for seeing a truth."

Supporters of caning are saying: "Don't talk about violent schools. I'm more comfortable denying that there's something wrong with the schools, and with expecting children to come out of the violent system as angels. I'm comfortable denying there is a contradiction."

Supporters of caning are also saying: "I am denial, but it's your job to accept me in denial because my denial is a form of difference, and if you accept my difference, you must accept caning."

In other words, with this fake disagreement, caning supporters are proving that they are uncomfortable with the truth about our school system, meaning that they are in denial, denial which came from their schools, which means they are proving violence in school doesn't work.

And if this argument about the narcissism of caning supporters is confusing for you, then yes, that's what trauma does. It twists ideas and makes people's ideas and logic jumbled and confused. Which comes trauma which comes from our twisted education system.