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The Politics of Freedom

On Retributive Punishment

Oliver Waters asks, is retributive justice justified in a modern society?

“When I woke up, I went on what the movie advertisements refer to as a ‘Roaring Rampage of Revenge’. I roared, and I rampaged, and I got bloody satisfaction.”
The Bride, Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

We’ve all experienced the undeniable pleasure of sweet vengeance – if not through a full-blown Tarantino-esque massacre, then perhaps while delivering a stinging comeback to an insult. Once our blood comes off the boil, we usually hasten to clarify that our actions weren’t merely enjoyable, but were in fact what justice demanded. After all, the wrongdoers got what they truly deserved.

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