Clichés

I believe the headmaster uses "assume the position" in the Dead Poets' Society paddling scene.

But it always brings to mind Clan of the Cave Bear for me (where it is used, via sign language, for forcing women to submit to sex). So I don't like it as a spanking cliche.

Oh yeah, Dead Poets' Society - we had to watch that in grade 10 English class. I always wondered if there were any other spankos like me in the class who were trying really hard to appear nonchalant during that scene. It caught me by surprise, too; I didn't know it was coming, so I was like, "oh shit, I'm watching a paddling with thirty other people, what is my facial expression supposed to look like right now, ohgod ohgawd..."

Haha Burgundy, I'm sure no one was looking at your facial expressions

Well, I dunno, if I was squirming around in my seat and turning bright red, somebody might have noticed! Because obviously the world revolves around me and everyone is looking at me and laughing at me. Great - *cold sweats* - I'm having flashbacks to being a teenager now...

There's a fairly good paddling scene in Animal House. Kevin Bacon is the pledge bending over, being whacked with a frat paddle and saying through gritted teeth 'Please, may I have another, sir.' Which is also a cliche, but one I kind of like.

Actually, I remember watching the caning/birching scene from Lady Jane in high school, and trying to keep my cool by pretending not to be interested yet not missing a bit. Looking back, I have to wonder about a certain teacher, since many of the films and books we were required to view/read had a certain 'bent' to them. Didn't think that deeply at the time because corporal punishment was phasing out but still 'normal' in school back then.

The problem - as Guy indicated - is that the clichés are also triggers. How many of us haven't looked up spanking words in dictionaries and mumbled magical phrases to ourselves over and over again? For me the solution isn't to avoid these terms altogether, but work them into the text in such a way that seem natural in the context.

I thought Helena Bonham Carter dud a great job with her facial expressions during the birching scene in Lady Jane. The right mix of indignation and physical distress.

To use, or not to use the cliche?
In context and with limits on the frequency of use, a cliche can add to a story.
Many have commented on cliches being triggers and I agree that this is true.
The cynic in me makes me wonder if the use of smack, smack, smack, at every smack, is a way of increasing the word count?
That said, it can add another layer of reality to a story.
I am not an author, but am working on a story and am trying to avoid cliches. It remains to be seen how successful this endeavour will be.

Generally speaking, there's no incentive to increase the word count, so I doubt it. (Shorter stories seem to get more reads and more comments, i assume from people apparently wanting a "quick fix")