In U.S. News and World Report  I take a look at the trend toward wanting to make sure that those we disagree with “pay a price” rather than letting the course of human relations sort some of our differences out. Whether it’s Sanders wanting to jail all the bankers – but being unable to say based on what statute, the rising support among young people for governmental controls on speech, or Harvard deciding that if you join a single gender club you can’t have a leadership position in campus life or athletics.

…Harvard’s clubs, fraternities and sororities are not especially sympathetic, but that’s exactly the point. You don’t need to be a fan of private clubs, Greek life, Donald Trump or abhorrent hate speech toward minorities to discern a disturbing pattern here: At a time when Americans of all political stripes are frustrated with our politics, the authoritarian response to the other is increasingly the default one…

…Trump likes to say how those who don’t do things his way will pay a price. It lands like the threat it’s intended to be. But is it really that different than Harvard’s administration telling students if they join a certain club they’ll pay a price in terms of opportunities open to them, or Sanders blurring the lines between what’s gross and what’s illegal? The answer shouldn’t turn on whose name is on the letterhead.

You can read the entire thing here – without paying a price! If you’re a member of a secret club at Harvard  or a Trump supporter in higher education you certainly can’t divulge that! But you can tell me on Twitter why we should ban those clubs and jail all the bankers.