Mentally more than physically. It’s going to hurt—but it’s supposed to. Flogging is a series of hard, cracking lashes intended to cause jolting pain. Once the experience is over, you’ll never be the same. I write in defense of flogging, something most people consider too radical for debate, not worthy of intellectual discussion. But please, don’t put down this book and move on, upset that I even broached the subject. If that’s your temptation, bear with me for just a bit longer. My defense of flogging—whipping, caning, lashing, call it what you will—is meant to be provocative but only because something extreme is needed to shatter the status quo. And that, ultimately, is my goal. There are 2.3 million Americans in prison. That is too many. I want to reduce cruelty, and flogging may be the answer. My opening gambit is simple: Given the choice between five years in prison and ten brutal lashes, which would you choose? I won’t dispute that flogging is a severe and even brutal form of punishment.
What do You think about In Defense Of Flogging (2011)?
