Our Obsession with Punishment Got Us Here

My recent op-ed that didn't get picked up I'm offering as a bonus for paid subscribers: What if our instinct to punish is actually what's driving the divide?

What began as a series of very public immigration raids has rippled outward. The response from communities has been swift and impassioned. So has the government’s reaction to the protests.

When I wrote this on June 10, President Trump had attempted to deploy over 2,000 National Guard troops to the streets of LA, a move both California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass have opposed. Since then Trump has threatened to go further, mobilizing US marines to maintain law and order.

How did we get here?

I propose that it’s less about policy or politics than our cultural obsession with punishment.