As I said on another site, it is most unfortunate that the “common sense” of the Wingnuts is usually a reversion to a psychological metaphor derived from Newton’s mechanics. In other words, their thought processes are very 18th century in their orientation. (Also, one could argue, misappropriating a scientific ideology to the realm of the human and social, even in earlier historical terms.)
The idea that more force will be the answer to any social problem, this is very badly thought through. As I say, it merely SEEMS like common sense to the wingnuts, because it is an older way of thinking than more lately discovered social and scientific perspectives. Yet, it’s not a hard-assed common-sensical approach to adopt a metaphor of greater force against a weaker force as the solution to solving your problems. The human realm is not the realm of blind, mechanical matter. The use of greater force produces greater rage, greater despair, a greater spirit of revenge. These are intrinsically human responses to the use of coercive force. They always have been.
