I don't remember anybody calling their fathers "sir". When I was a child in the 80s it seemed parents hitting their kids was on its way out. My dad split when I was really young and I only remember him hitting me once, and I got the "this will hurt me worse than it hurts you" line. My mother never hit me, and I don't remember other kids talking about it. My best friend had an alcoholic father and got the shit beat out of him pretty regularly, but I don't think that's the kind of thing you are asking about.

When I was in elementary school, they gave out beatings. I wouldn't even call them spankings. The principal had this huge paddle with holes drilled in it, and that son of a bitch would swing that thing as hard as he could. I remember looking back, bent over a chair, and watching him wind up. Sadistic bastard. In junior high school they used in-school suspension as punishment. They still had that in high school but added regular suspensions, expulsions, and even the cops to the mix. All those were pretty rare, though.

I don't have kids so I'm not sure whether or not schools still hit kids. Hopefully not. It was mean, plus it never worked. I do know that my friend's kid is like 10 or 11 years old and got suspended for breaking the dress code. That never would have happened in my day.