Breaking Point

I think you can trace the degree with which someone will embrace authoritarian thinking by looking at to what extent they will agree with that anyone who has not actually violated the law does not have to worry about dealing with law enforcement. The theoretical idea is sound. But the reality is not — for all kinds of reasons. The more authoritarian someone’s mindset, the less they will be willing and able to deal with the actual reality of law enforcement. The more they will loudly proclaim the presumed validity of the underlying concept (it is no surprise that conservative and especially far-right parties loudly promote what they call “law and order”). For all kinds of reasons, law enforcement tends to be flawed. For example, having a lot of wealth will simply give you access to a form of justice not available to those lacking funds. The colour of your skin or whether or not you come across as someone “not from here” is likely to determine whether justice will be served. And there…