Some people are saying that you know people who got beatings and still ended up a statistic... Well of course there are gonna be those
But the question is... when their parents weren't beating their child, what were they doing? Beating your child as a consequence for their disrespecful/disobediant actions is different than idiots who beat their child because he/she accidentally spilled some damn juice on the carpet.
For example... I heard my step-daughter (almost 4 years old) say a curse word that she heard her biological father say. I asked her where she heard that word (We don't use profanity around her, and really at all) and she told me. I told her with a stern voice never to use the word again and that's it's a bad word. She bout started to tear up... lol. A couple weeks later she did it again... and I reminded her again not to say that word, etc.
Maybe a week later she said the word again... I grabbed her hand, popped her and said that I told her not to say that word again and sent her to the corner. She started crying. I told her not to cry... cause I warned her before and I didn't want to hear that noise. Gave her 5 seconds to be quiet. She stopped crying in 2... lol
She hasn't said the word since
If parents are also running around doing ignorant stuff and being generally bad examples for their children in addition to the beatings, the beatings themselves won't be that effective.
Now beatings aren't gonna work for every child, and a good parent will pay attention to their child to figure out what's the most effective punishment. But just because you know someone who ended up a statistic and still got beat, doesn't mean beatings don't work at all.
Similarly, beatings probably aren't the ONLY reason some people end up being disciplined, respectful, and successful.
Bottom line... Beatings don't determine how a child will end, only influence it. What you do before and after a beating matters just as much.