Latest Breaking News
In reply to the discussion: Jussie Smollett charges dropped [View all]The Mouth
(3,416 posts)And punishment as a deterrent is neither a 'conservative' nor a 'liberal' value, but common sense.
I'll grant that the guy possibly has psych problems - I have no idea not being a professional - but anyone who doesn't see that this is damned well a Big Deal because of the difficulty it will cause for people coming forward about real homophobic and/or racist attacks, how much easier it will be to dismiss such, probably can't be argued with.
Punishment, particularly in the form of humiliation, social scorn and financial pain is perfectly appropriate for someone who acts in a way that harms society. that doesn't preclude rehabilitation, forgiveness and growth, but it does mean doing stupid shit that potentially hurts others should come with a price. Not every drunk driver crashes or injures someone, but we penalize the behavior because not doing so increases the overall harm.