I love pointing this out to self-described patriots. Most just give a knee-jerk response about America having the greatest police on earth so they solve more crime than anyone else or that it’s because America allows in too many immigrants and so on.

But my favorite response I’ve received was: “America has the most prisoners because we’re the most free! Unlike any other country on earth, Americans have the freedom to do anything they want, they just have to face the consequences of their actions after they do it.”