Loving and Hating the Police
Violence, Authority and the Paradox of Order Oct 20, 2026 · @Prasanna If there is space for violence, the answer has always been yes, however in any discussion of social and political progress, one hard truth is usually brushed aside: violence has always shaped the world. Nations are born out of conflict. The great leaps toward freedom and rights have rarely happened through pure pacifism. Even in a democracy, where we rightly champion the rule of law and peaceful debate, violence does not disappear. It is institutionalised. (Except perhaps feminist movement) An army holds that violence for use against external enemies across clear borders. Inside the nation, the same burden falls on the police, and there it is far more difficult and ambiguous. What is the police for: to protect law and order, to prevent crime, or to keep society stable? If it is all of these, what powers should it have, how much of it do we need, and whom is it really protecting? This essay argues that the polic...