Martinet

The Martinet is a mehrriemige, small whip that is used in France traditionally used mainly for physical punishment of children and young people and for the education of pets. The almost limited only to France dissemination of Martinet is motivated by the fact that the late 19th / early 20th century, each soldier was equipped with a simple Martinet to knock the dust out of his uniform. Hence also the German translation " knock whip " her.

The Martinet consists of a wooden handle (mostly beech or pine), which has a thicker diameter in the grip area for better handling, and up to 20, but usually 9-12 thin leather straps (usually with a length of 25 to 30 cm, usually from production waste the leather processing industry), and was initially available in toys, paint and hardware stores.

In the French families of the Martinet belonged in the past to solid household inventory and was often visible to all in the kitchen on a hook in sight and gripping width suspended. Another possibility was that the Martinet was hung at the entrance of the apartment, so that visitors could see immediately that in this budget " discipline and order " rule. Or was he still placed on top of the kitchen cabinet, but visible, so that the threat of Martinet still present, the Martinet himself was but out of reach of children so that they do not shorten the straps, and were able to reduce their number. Often the Martinet was a "gift from Santa Claus ."

The name comes from the infamous for its strict discipline first French Inspector General of the Army ( intendant de l' armée ) Jean Martinet. This office was created under the Sun King Louis XIV ( 1638-1715 ). Other sources, however, argue that the term Martinet is derived from the French word for hammer ( marteau ).

As in France parental corporal punishment is still legal, and the Martinet is still used, although authorities had a moderate use of " physical punishment intensifying means " recommended. Since 1984, the application of the Martinet to punish children, but not for young people, prohibited; there is the Martinet since only in pet shops and the relevant departments of supermarkets, department stores and garden centers to buy, often with a reference to the transparent packaging or a sticker that Martinet was just for dogs ( and cats) determined. A moderate approach, more than Drohinstrument, but was advised also for the animals. In recent years, the Martinet has now disappeared from some zoological specialty shops and departments of self -service stores, and even the traditional pet shops near Notre Dame in Paris carry no more Martinet.

Available are Martinet in e-commerce and in Zooabteilungen of household goods stores and in the so-called hypermarkets. Two chains of hypermarkets have officially announced that they no longer make Martinet in the range. The majority of Martinet in France is purchased for strict parenting, only occasionally for the education of dogs. There is even an online petition calling for an immediate stop of sales.

Whether the Martinet, depending on the leather texture and thickness, as potentially even more painful than the particular earlier in Germany and Great Britain widespread cane, which in Scotland and Ireland frequently used Tawse or as the in over 20 states in the U.S. continues to corporal punishment in the schools paddle used or considered as the next belt or leather straps in the home education being used is from the personal pain dependent. The Martinet is used almost exclusively on the bare buttocks. Does the Martinet on clothing, pain and punitive effects is stark. For short pants or skirts have been or will be happy, occasionally beaten on the naked thighs on the exposed calves. This could be accomplished quickly, was also available for those parents who the child is jammed in the punishment under the arm, easily within reach of the Martinet. Most beating is felt on the thighs as painful. Furthermore, the had for the children nor the shameful side effect that at a correspondingly short dress everyone could see that recently there had been a punishment. The pain is thus still increase, will be added if only half or less of the belt and it will be handled with leather grease or by water ( water ) made ​​heavier. In contrast to the cane or the whip of the Martinet has the advantage that when hitting the skin is not bloodshot or even burst open and it therefore can not come to external injuries. Although the Martinet also causes a reddening of the skin surface taken, but disappears very quickly and no physical damage to leaves.

Opponents of parental corporal punishment also refer to the humiliation caused by the punishment, and fight for a long time for amendments to the law. However, especially in the rural areas of France, the Martinet is still used today in the education of pets, children and adolescents. According to a survey of Martinet is still used in 10% of households raising children.

In Germany known forms of Martinet's the knock whip and the Westphalian Siebenstriemer. Knock lashes with up to 12, usually but seven belts were used in Germany until well into the 1970s, increasingly, for the punishment of children and adolescents.