Parental expertise required...?

My son is 2 yrs old and screams all the time, if he wants something..he screams, if he doesn't get his own way..he screams, it's all the time. And it's Driving me insane, my daughter was never like that at all. Please can someone suggest something that could at least curb it? Don't bother explaining about timeouts-there horse sh*t. Even giving a little whack on the doesn't work, his temper comes out and the screaming gets worst. It's ear piercing and I want it to stop, when I was growing up my brother was a screamer...but my mother solved that problem using physical force. I don't want my son to fear his dad(me), my belief is that a little whack (yes, just once)on the is only justified for misbehaving