Punishment as pleasure?

[Justin Schwartz]

>
> > I agree that we Americans are retributivist and that overpunishment
> > is currently politically popular. But I don't see any necessity to
>this. I
> > think it is a feature of a number of peculiar things about American
> > society--our Puritan heritage, economic uncertainty, racism, etc.
>
>Could it also be jealousy?  Not that I want to sound nuts, but I've often
>wondered if the most vociferous law & order vultures' outrage stems from
>the fact that a criminal can commit acts they resent being denied the
>freedom to engage in.  And to rationalize this they use the cry of "eye
>for eye" and righteousness to veil their own sadism.  Any thoughts?
>

A sort of Nietzschean speculation: I like it. But why is that peculiarly 
American? --jks
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