Today in America, puritanical rituals are back with a vengeance.

Since Donald Trump floated down his golden escalator screaming about Mexican rapists, the left and right have led public pillaging of people’s reputations, often with scant concern for little things like evidence, due process, truth, and reality. The left and right may not agree on any policy, but they both have concluded that public shaming is the way to get things done.

The phrase “New Puritans” has made a few select appearances in the past 40-plus years, with its meaning and application varying. Texas senator Barbara Jordan used it while keynoting the 1976 Democratic National Convention. British trends forecaster Jim Murphy used it a decade ago to describe a shift in British young people away from hyper-consumerism and... Read More