When Did it Turn?

So Bob Griese got suspended from ESPN for a week for joking on-air that driver Juan Pablo Montoya was having a taco. (Or something like that - I don't care enough to actually find out and retell the whole story. If you're really interested, I guess you could Google "Bob Griese + taco" and read for yourself.)

Everyone is so sensitive these days! Actually, I doubt that anyone at ESPN really cares that much what was said, but it's all about the almighty dollar and they don't want to lose any over a stupid ethnic food joke.

You go, Bob Griese! During your week off, why don't you go eat some (insert appropriate ethnic food for the Griese surname)!

But now to the main point of the article. I was listening to the radio on the way home and they were talking about the old days when kids would get their butts paddled at school. And these were guys 35-40 years old, reminiscing like it was their fondest memory.

"Yeah, and then they made me sign the paddle afterwards!"

"Yeah, one teacher knocked me out by hitting me on the side of the head with a book!"

It sure didn't seem like they were very scarred. I remember those days - not that I ever got paddled, because I was a good kid. But I believe there was some paddling going on - and I know teachers would always threaten such punishment. I remember an elementary school teacher throwing erasers at kids with big mouths. And it was okay - no one really gave it a second thought.

So when did things change? I'm seriously not that old. I was in junior high 20 years ago. But if any of this butt-paddling and eraser-throwing happened today, here is what would likely happen:

1) Teacher arrested
2) Teacher fired
3) A series of front-page newspaper articles about the teacher's criminal heart
4) Teacher is executed by gunfire at sundown

I'm sort of joking. And I'm not saying that teachers should be going around opening up a can of butt-whoop on every kid that steps out of line. I'm just wondering. . . what happened?

And more importantly, when did it happen? When did it become not okay? I'd like a specific year, please.