" Even the complete thugs in my family treat their Moms and Paps with respect"
... This is meant to be satire, right? Tell me this is satire.
I was whipped (belt, branch, hot wheels track, spoon etc), shoved, threatened with violence by an abusive father (ever have a parent rage out and say they'll kill you while chasing you with their arms out in a choke hold? It's awesome)... And yeah, I sure did behave around him, especially around other people. Model citizen behavior shit. Who wants to catch a severe beating? Especially since I knew I was definitely not alone in getting they brunt of his anger.
15 years later, I don't talk to them (haven't said a single word in 6 years now), and they will never see my kid(s), ever. The bizarre thing is that they don't really "get" it, as if it needed further explaining, and my mom occasionally sends me guilt tripping emails and voicemails. I never invited anyone over, had few friends, and I think the last thing I said to my father in law is that I didn't want to live in a fucking prison anymore and I walked out when I was 17 to live with a friend's family. was really emotionally fucked up by this whole thing for a long time and told nobody about it because I felt on some level I was responsible for it.
I don't want to get into mild spanking etc. but defending angry ass beatings etc as some kind of cultural strength or character building exercise... I will never understand. And I'm not some pussified broney virgin type or whatever people dismiss this as.