I agree with you Dtomboy. I have experienced growing up that my parents and parents of my friends generally had good intentions for us but lack the knowledge and understanding of alternatives to spanking. Spanking was viewed as the norm to raising kids upright. Even the other day when I told my girlfriend about how spanking is wrong, at first she didn't agree because that's the only thing she has been exposed to and she see how her niece and nephew will only respond to doing things right when they get spanked. But when I reasoned to her how they are only responding out of fear, how it has no long-term gain, how spanking is bullying, and how spanking isn't a UPB, she became more receptive to alternatives. Alternatives like giving incentives, giving explanations, time outs, and using grounding and loss of privileges as a last recourse work. I have put them into practice when I'm around my little neices and nephews. So, individuals can still have some empathy for parents and persons who spank since that's probably the only thing they know or the only thing they think works. Open up with them about alternatives, and if they are not willing to give them a try and work on not spanking anymore, move on from such people.
I would also like to add that patience is a virtue one must have when it comes to raising kids. Lots of parents lose patience easily and resort to spanking as the final solution when kids continue to do bad things. They get tired of telling their kids to do the right thing, but they should realise that kids don't mature overnight.