She takes off her armband...

... as she takes her place on the stage. The audience gasps audibly. Even you know it is a very rare step to take. “Good morning everyone.” Her voice is powerful and engaging; somehow you know from that one line of greeting that she is a fantastic speaker with the ability to get crowds behind her. “Thank you all for coming here today.” The word “all” carries a hint of something - you can tell she addresses it to those who came with not necessarily the purest intentions, forcing them to acknowledge their positions to themselves at least.

“I am entitled as you well know to be exempt from corporal punishment for the duration of this event and immediately related activities and travel. I, however, do not wish to have this entitlement. This audience will hold a variety views but I do not believe spanking is bad. All the evidence we have suggests otherwise: spanking is good. So I will not refuse it, if anyone here believes they see me doing something inappropriate or wrong, they are very welcome to come up onto the stage and do whatever they feel necessary to rectify that”. She takes a pause. Obviously nobody does, there was never any doubt on this. That said, you know Dr Shueman is taking a great risk nonetheless; she may be safe for now but if she falters at all in the next few hours, there likely will be someone willing to step up and the event will take a different route. Your earlier concerns for your bottom suddenly seem childish next to her bravery.

The talk restarts with the speaker going back to the idea that spanking is a highly useful tool of bringing up the best members of the society and the problems with the institution are isolated incidents. She freely acknowledges there are issues but also makes concise and solid suggestions on tackling them. She then moves to the origins of the practice and without ever saying so directly she nonetheless makes clear her belief that the initial decision to apply it to females only was made under circumstances no longer in place today and thus open to be questioned, while the conditions behind the entire concept changed far less dramatically.

You knew most of the facts from your own research but the connections made and the angles at which they are presented are masterful. The first part is approaching its end when Dr Shueman’s face grows harder as she finishes what seems to be the main body of the talk. She takes a sip of water for the first time. “Now, I am still not really believing I am about to ask you what I am about to ask you...” she says “... but primary data from a social experiment however informally conducted will make a stronger point than a hundred talks. So I am asking you to volunteer to join me in doing one.”

What she proposes next is both wonderfully simple and by the new standards outrageous. Pairs made of one person who is eligible for spanking and one who is not are to go out and commit very minor and harmless offences. It could be throwing a bottle into a waste bin and missing (of course to pick it up moments later whether or not it is pointed out); it could be crossing the street before the pedestrian light turned green while cars are already on red. The purpose of such delinquency is to ascertain whether non-spanking penalties will be applied as unforgivingly as corporal punishment. When (and if) confronted the volunteers will show a prepared text explaining the reason behind their actions and offering further information. The foundation will cover the fines if any are issued despite the explanation but of course the risk to any bottoms is undeniable. “I entirely understand there is nothing we can do to help either any of you or myself in case they wish to proceed...” Dr Shueman concludes “... but I am convinced we will learn a lot nonetheless. If there are any volunteers, can you please form two queues here.” Her assistants unfold two desks, one for each type of experiment subjects. For the second time in the relatively short period, a stunned silence falls.