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| - A widely shared image of a newspaper clipping supposedly published in the 1950s poses the question, "If a woman needs it, should she be spanked?" The article includes several alleged responses from men endorsing the idea, with their professions and locations listed.
(Reddit user @zadraaa)
The image has circulated on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, X, Imgur, iFunny, and Reddit.
The text on the alleged clipping read:
If a Woman Needs It, Should She Be Spanked? [Today's question by Herman Martin, 125 Broad St., New York 4, N. Y. J]
MIGUEL MATOS, Brooklyn, counterman: "Why not? If they don't know how to behave by the time they're adults, they should be treated like children and spanked. That ought to make them grow up in a hurry. If it doesn't at first, they'll soon get the idea."
FRANK DESIDERIO, Brooklyn, barber: "Yes, when they deserve it. As a barber, I've got a lot of faith in the hairbrush. I think there are certain cases when it is advisable. When it is, there's no reason why you shouldn't go right ahead and do it. I can't knock the idea. In my business, a man sets a lot of store by the results he can get with a hairbrush properly applied."
TEDDY GALLEL, Brooklyn, parking lot attendant: "You bet. It teaches them who's boss. A lot of women tend to forget this is a man's world and a lot of men who stepped down as boss of a family wish they hadn't. Spanking might help get back some of the respect they lost."
Social media posts attributed the article to the New York Daily Mirror and claimed it was published in the 1950s.
The New York Daily Mirror (later renamed the New York Mirror) was an authentic newspaper that operated from 1924 to 1963. To determine whether the newspaper indeed published the clip, Snopes contacted the Library of Congress. It shared with us a scanned, microfilm copy of the Daily Mirror's Dec. 14, 1959, issue, confirming the clip's authenticity.
(Daily Mirror via The Library of Congress)
(Daily Mirror via The Library of Congress)
Text on the bottom portion of the clip, which was seemingly cut off in many online postings, read:
WILLIAM DAVIS, Brooklyn, toy factory owner: "Yes. Most of them have it coming to them anyway. If they don't, it will remind them how well off they are. I subscribe to the theory that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
WHAT QUESTION is buzzing around your mind? Send it to "You Said It!", New York Mirror, 235 E. 45th St., New York 17, N. Y. For each query used The Mirror will pay $10.
The Newspaper Clipping's Online History
TinEye reverse image results indicated the image was available online at least since 2010.
Further research revealed that the clipping was archived in 2005 via the Wayback Machine on a now-defunct website www.thespankingnews.com.
(Wayback Machine)
(www.thespankingnews.com)
The New York Public Library confirmed the existence of a daily "You Said It ... By Artie Aidala" column in The New York Mirror. An example is provided below:
Though a Google search yielded no relevant results for the name of the column, a New York Times article confirmed its author, Aidala, who died in 2000, "was a full-time photographer for The New York Herald Tribune and later for The New York Daily Mirror."
Other examples of "You Said It..." columns in the Daily Mirror, provided by the New York Public Library, include:
- You Believe We'll Never Miss What We Never Had?
- Do You Think Most Women Prefer Domineering Men?
- Thanksgiving Plans Made?
- Rather Dream Or Face Reality?
(Daily Mirror, The New York Public Library)
Like the in-question clipping about spanking, the columns displayed above feature bold, attention-grabbing headlines in the form of questions that are attributed to specific individuals. Respondents are consistently introduced by their full name, place of residence, and profession, followed by a quote by them. Finally, the articles conclude with this text inviting readers to submit future questions for the column: "WHAT QUESTION is buzzing around your mind? Send it to 'You Said It!', New York Mirror, 235 E. 45th St., New York 17, N.Y. For each query used The Mirror will pay $10."
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