Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child?

The Warner Brothers' Space Jam: A New Legacy was released this weekend, just 25 years after the original. Lebron James stars as himself and is on a mission to save his kidnapped son, Dom, from the Warner Bros. Multiverse. To get his son back and save the world, Lebron must win a basketball game with a team of his choosing. James, along with the titular Looney Tunes, team up as the Tune Squad for the basketball game that will determine the fate of the world.

James is a basketball star with three children in this film. His oldest son, Darius, also demonstrates talent and a desire to follow in his father's footsteps. However, Dom, who showed promising basketball talent, is passionate about gaming and building video games. The 'hard work' and 'father knows best' talk occurs and creates a rift in Lebron and Dom's relationship. Lebron James learns Dom is on the Goon Squad playing against his father's Tune Squad when the basketball game begins. While James does attempt to explain the situation (impending doom of the world) and reason with Dom, it is to no avail, and the father against son competition begins. James' character is placed in the all too familiar lose-lose situation in parenting where he believes he must beat his child (in a game of basketball) to save him. If he does not, then his sons' ability to thrive and be successful in the world is lost.

A History of Discipline in the Black Community

We must question and examine the idea that a Black parent must exert dominance over their child, using physical force, if need be, to protect their child. In the last ten years, a spotlight has shone on the black community and the use of corporal punishment. Dr. Stacey Patton's campaign to Spare the Kids urges black parents to critically examine and reconsider the notion of "spare the rod and spoil the child," a Samuel Butler quote that paraphrases a bible verse.

Dr. Patton recognizes "black parents have legitimate fears about the safety of their children, and the overwhelming majority believe physical discipline is necessary to keep black children out of the streets, out of prison, and out of police officers' sight."¹ In recognizing the history of physical abuse from white slavers/traffickers, Dr. Patton suggests enslaved Africans adopted this practice to teach their children discipline. These parents adopted abusive practices hoping that their children would never have to experience these and other forms of abuse outside of their home. This idea has passed through many generations.²

Phrases such as "spare the rod" (though misinterpreted) continued to support and promote the idea that if a parent loves their child they should be willing to hurt them to help them. We know that spanking and other forms of corporal punishment have been demonstrated to lead to increased aggressive behavior and acting out in children. A CDC study revealed adults who reported exposure to spanking in childhood demonstrated, "increased odds of mental health problems including depression, suicide, moderate-to-heavy drinking, and illegal drug use."³ Though the movement away from spanking as a form of discipline has increased, the use of power and dominance over a child to curtail negative behavior or teach a child is still widespread.

Is There a Right Way?

Lebron James and Dom also struggle to relate to one another because James refuses to listen and better understand Dom. Instead, James leans on the fact that he is an adult, a successful and famous adult, who knows the 'right way' to achieve your dreams in life. There is truth to James' belief and experience; he is an adult who has more knowledge experience than his child. He is successful in his career, and it is logical to believe that if his son does as he is told, he too can be successful.

The problem is James' approach does not work and ultimately pushes Dom away. James appears to be closed-minded to learning new things and expanding his conception of success and achievement. For example, when Dom adds style points and power-ups to the classic basketball game, James sees this as wrong and possibly disrespectful to the "way it is" instead of opening his eyes to the way it could be.

What Space Jam: A New Legacy gets right is they do not get caught in the trap of the father vs. son conflict because it is a lose-lose situation. James does not have to beat his child to save his child. Instead, James' ability to accept, embrace and understand his son just as he is results in their ability to work collaboratively toward defining and achieving their goals. Rather than arguing, fighting, or dominating to demonstrate your competence and expertise as a parent, one must stop and ask: what is the goal here? It appears James' goal is to ensure a happy and limitless future for his children. He then must ask himself: how can he and his son create this together?