Ever notice how most actions are centered around punishing someone? Is there no redemption??

I am baader-meinhoff phenom-ing hard on this right now. Punishment is especially a central point of online spaces. There isn't so much celebration of virtuous or great actions but denigrating things that one doesn't like. I am also predispositioned to this programming as well.

Any idea why this is or where it comes from? I get the sense it is all encompassing. You can go on twitter and there's someone else being canceled or how a politician is bad for their opinion. When it really doesn't matter much. It just all seems like a vast entertainment center where next week you'll be on the main cast of death match for downvoting a corporate BLM video.

There is nuance to suss out with this. There is a distinction to be made between something you don't like with hurtful behavior. If you don't like someone's opinion it doesn't mean they should be punished. Maybe this is a throwback to Christian morals?

  • VerifiedPoster [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    This essay was really valuable for me in thinking about why people do this:

    The Need to Punish: The Political Consequences of Identifying with the Aggressor https://arno-gruen.online-library.net/p/the-need-to-punish.html