At my school everyone has a very casual relationship with their teachers/authority figures. Most kids talk to their teachers like friends or, if the teacher isn't "cool" they insult them and are just incredibly rude. There's no sense of natural authority, the only reason anyone pays attention is because they handle our grades and because if we don't go to school, we'll get in trouble... even though "getting in trouble" still isn't enough motivation for some kids.
As far as hitting kids as a form of discipline, it's hard for me to form an opinion on that. I was never spanked or physically punished as a child and I was always very respectful and polite towards authority figures, I could never have imagined any other way to behave. My youngest sister, on the other hand, misbehaves all the time and never listens to my mom or stepdad despite getting spanked all the time. I guess it all depends on the person.
I'm more or less a part of the "YouTube generation" so I'm not speaking from experience here, but it seems to me like the generation directly before us was told what they NEEDED to hear, even if it wasn't necessarily what they wanted to hear, and as a result they actually have a backbone and know how to treat others appropriately.
I feel like today, parents and whoever sets the standard for parenting have a policy of leniency and coddling children. Notice that everywhere you look (in America at least) people are constantly saying to kids, "You can do anything!" and try to boost their self-esteem as much as possible. Some schools have even stopped giving kids bad grades even if they're doing poorly just to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. If the example being set for these kids today is "you can do anything, always be yourself and you can do no wrong," then how are they supposed to understand that there are still certain rules of conduct that have to be obeyed? There are certain instances in which expressing yourself and being vocal about it aren't appropriate. Not everyone is a special, unique snowflake whose opinions need to be heard and paid attention to 24/7.
Have you guys heard of the new-age parenting trend called "Indigo Children"? Basically, it is the idea that kids who are narcissistic and spoiled, who demand to be the center of attention, are actually "Indigo Children", who are "enlightened beings" with a natural sense of superiority over others. Supposedly they're here to usher humanity into a new understanding of human nature, basically "the world revolves around me because I'm better than everyone else". These kids should be treated like royalty and never punished because they are our superiors, according to the people behind this idea... so basically if your kid is a brat, there's no need to punish them, because they're special.
This is what the Indigo Children website says:
-They come into the world with a feeling of royalty (and often act like it).
-They have a feeling of "deserving to be here," and are surprised when others don't share that.
-Self-worth is not a big issue. They often tell the parents "who they are."
-They have difficulty with absolute authority (authority without explanation or choice).
-They will not respond to "guilt" discipline ("Wait till your father gets home and finds out what you did").
... yeah, okay. OBVIOUSLY the bratty kids from that video are really Indigo Children, guys... we should be kissing their feet and bringing them gifts.
