From age 11 on I was subject to being struck on the hand with leather strap at school by an order of Irish Christian Brothers. Talk in class - ya got the strap, didn’t do yer Latin homework -ya got the strap, late for class, ya got the strap etc etc...
Stung like a SOB but I dunno how much of a deterrent it was, this was an all boys school. That cold-blooded psychological warfare that was an English Grammar School classroom still went on.
One time a Christian Brother lost it and whaled and whaled on some kid with the strap while that kid was curled up in a fetal position on the floor trying to ward off the blows. The other Masters from adjacent classrooms heard the commotion and pulled the Christian Brother off.
Next day the guy just apologized to the class and it was business as usual. We understood, that kid has willfully pushed that guy’s buttons until he snapped.
