Discipline: the tush way or the street way?

Howdy earthlings?

I went to pick up my dress from the tailor during the weekend and it took a while because some adjustments needed to be made. I was buying time by checking up on twitter when her 8 year old son walked in. She started shouting at the boy in her native language and kept twisting the boys ear. What was juniors offense? He didn't perform the Saturday chores with his younger sister. She punished him further by asking him to fetch the water they would use for the night. When he came inside, she asked how many buckets he had fetched and then she patted him on the back on told him he had tried. She told him the importance of doing things the right way and not running away from chores. She emphasized on the need to be honest in life and to avoid cheating. She then told him to go and take his bath.

 10 year old Johnson just returned from school. He had just learnt a new form of painting in school and he decided to try it at home. He spilled white paint on the brown carpet in the parlor and even stained the silver metallic center table. His mother came back and was furious. No, she did not scold him. She simply said "good job Johnson, well done." she turned towards the kitchen to shout at Mary (the nanny) asking her why she allowed Johnson to litter the parlor. She threatened to fire Mary the next time she allowed such to happen.

Growing up in Lagos Nigeria, I have seen different forms of training being meted out to children. From the market women in yaba that flog their naked children clad in only underwear to the banker mom in lekki that dares not scold her child because she fears he'll grow up to hate her. The 2 scenarios painted above are not far from the recent happenings in our environs. 

In the past, a child was not the sole responsibility of his biological parents. Training a child was always a communal effort. As long as that child was known, he would be put in check by any adult present at that point in time whenever he strayed. These days, if you try to correct a child that is not yours, your reward will be a mouthful of insults and curses.

We are trying to emulate the western countries in many aspects but we are not even doing it properly. At least everyone knows there is a difference  in manner of discipline instilled by a black mum (e.g Madea Simmons... Lol) and a white mum in America. Why then are we emulating the wrong things?

The book of wisdom says "spare the rod and spoil the child"...how far do we go with this?. I'm not an advocate of scarring a child for life all in the name of discipline but painting a picture of a perfect life without mistakes for the child doesn't exactly do any good. 

Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.

Now le roomies and I are arguing about this :). The tush way or the street way?? What's your take???