That is an interesting point that could be argued (as it was in Golding's Lord of the Flies). My fairly recent experience as a parent has led me to be more inclined to believe that we turn children into "savages" by treating them as though they are. Of course it isn't all one or the other.
I have not treated my own children as "little savages" and I am (so far) very pleased with how they are coming along.