In light of the recently-released video depicting an Aransas County Texas judge, William Adams, beating his then 16-year-old daughter with a belt, many people have spoken up (mainly in comments sections on various postings of the video) to defend the judge's behavior.
While Aransas County authorities investigated the matter, they claim no crime covering Judge Adams' actions is still available under statutes of limitation. And they cannot remove the judge from office, as no crime can be charged and he is an elected official.
However, in the comic-book world of Superman, in fact in the very first story of Superman, which appeared in 1938 in Action Comics #1, one of Superman's first acts as a superhero was saving a women being beaten with a belt by her husband.
Rather than wasting time with arrest and trial, Superman pummels the brute, telling him "You're not fighting a woman, now!", as he punches the man violently into a wall, smashing a hole in it.
The man finally feints away in terror when his knife blade breaks on the Man of Steel's chest. At that point Superman changes into Clark Kent and awaits the late arrival of the police.
No question in Superman's view, beating your wife was not OK, not in 1938, not now.
Yet, in many parts of the USA today, people still defend the notion that beating a child, even a small child, is an important instrument of "discipline". Sometimes they quote the Bible, claiming it commands them not to "spare the rod" (or belt, presumably).
Of course Superman isn't going to show up to administer justice in Aransas County, where for the time being neither is the law.
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