We are a punitive nation at heart

[SoCalDem]

1....Not rich?..you must be lazy, undeserving, and not smart enough to get a good job..you deserve to live a miserable life, scratching to stay current with your bills

2....Food stamps user?...you must be lazy, and are definitely undeserving..you deserve scorn & derision

3....Unexpected pregnancy?..you must be stupid, careless, a harlot, or all of the aforementioned..you cannot choose what happens next.. you deserve to have to support that child alone, and don't even think of asking for help

4....In debt?....you must be a spendthrift, careless with money..

5....No health insurance?..see #1

6...Old & sick...and poor?..you did not save enough and it's too bad, but you are screwed.

7...Find yourself incarcerated?.. too bad for you.. you deserve to be punished forever..even after you serve your time..and while you are in jail, it's ok if additional harm comes your way..

The general "theme" lately seems to be all about blame & punishment...except when it comes to the super-rich/powerful who seem to be saints..just looking out for us all..

[unblock]

1. sometimes a democrats fall for it; but for the most part, only the gop has a punitive heart.

[cali]

2. No doubt a strain of unforgiving puritanism runs through us

so do other contradictory strains. Right now, in the repub party and a significant sector of the population (who knows how large?) that strain is dominating. It's not dominating in the democratic party and another significant sector of the population (Read the dem party platform). Those strains are locked in fierce battle at the moment. We'll know come November which vision will hold sway. Unless, of course, they cheat to get in the White House. And that's certainly possible.

[LeftishBrit]

3. It's a general theme of the Right

And not just in any one nation. It is spreading in the UK to a frightening extent, for instance.

Right vs Left 40 years ago was more 'traditionalist' vs 'progressive'; but since Thatcher & Reagan has been more 'tough; punitive'; vs 'compassionate; helping'; or from the Right's point of view, 'a soft touch'.

There are some conservatives who genuinely believe that people in trouble should be helped and not punished, but consider that the state is not the best provider of help. While I disagree with such people, I can still respect them. But a very large number of people on the right these days genuinely do NOT believe that people in trouble should be helped at all, or at best would like to keep it to a bare minimum.

[xchrom]

4. Du rec. Nt

[marmar]

5. Very much so.

One of the most punitive "first world" countries there is. I suppose Singapore is worse.

[moondust]

6. They believe--or want to believe--

that "the system" works, that each and every one of us is responsible for our own fate in this wonderful system that they and their ancestors have created (for themselves). Those at the "top" are there because they deserve to be (just ask them!) and, by extension, those at the "bottom" are therefore undeserving. It's all so neat and wonderful!

[rock]

7. Well, you've certainly illustrated the conservative views

Did you ever notice that conservatives are anything but conservative?

[NC_Nurse]

8. Yeah, except that they'll make excuses for the rich white guys

and let them off the hook every time. Notice how nobody ever brings up the MAN in an unplanned pregnancy. There's not a lot of talk about punishing the mostly rich white MEN who made the policies that drained out treasury and are STILL making these guys richer. There is never personal responsibility for dead miners, dead dolphins, or poisoned children by the heads of big corporations like BP, Massey Mining, or Koch Industries. They always get off scott free with all of their profits.

Sickening.

[bemildred]

9. We are an authoritarian nation at heart.

The punitive comes from the (asserted) need to control everybody, generally "for their own good" too.