Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Retributive Injustice

Among those who think Trumpian thoughts retributive injustice is a higher art than retributive justice because it is purer in its display of power. The dispensing of justice is typically bureaucratic, corporatized and contingent--limited by the law--whereas injustice can be individual, impulsive, arbitrary, unchecked and self-indulgent.

Consider Trump's threats of extrajudicial attacks against Hillary and others. Their illegality enhances their power. The execution of these threats would act as a warning against enemies--not of the state but of Trump himself and his allies. The result is the intimidation of a veiled threat. People will think twice before messing with Trump. 

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