Draconian Techniques?

“… And [Elisha] went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, "Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head."
            And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them." — King James Bible, 2nd Kings, 2:23-24.

It appears that in the eyes of God, mocking your elders is a capital offense, even for juveniles! I wonder if less behavioral techniques would have worked as well — Or maybe just a stern admonition? I suspect that in today’s litigious climate, the parents of the children would have sued Elisha major league, big-time. Of course, he would probably argue that he wasn’t responsible – God was.