It is always the judicial application of the punishment, rather than the punishment itself that is most important. If someone only remembers the punishment and not the reason for the punishment then the punishment was ineffective.

The only reason for punishment of any sort is for education. First to the person being punished to learn the error of his or her conduct. And second to demonstrate to others what the cost of their misguided conduct may be.

For example If you are stopped by a Police Officer for speeding, is the reason he is giving you a ticket to raise the revenue of the governments coffers? Or to encourage you to slow down and obey the speed limits because you are creating an unnecessary hazzard to yourself and others, and to warn other on the roadway to do the same? Many would say it is the first reason rather than the latter. And indeed it may be is some jurisdictions. But it was not the intent of why the overall law was first given.

I have seen many people in my lifetime who misapply that lesson. And when out of sight of the Officer return to speeding down the highway again because they feel that the ticket was a debt that was to be paid for the crime, rather than a warning lesson to be learned.

Now had the Officer gave the speeder a warning instead of a ticket, the speeder will usually leave the scene with the attitude that he was "Lucky" this time, (knowing that he could have recieved a greater, more costly punishment) and that he had better be more cautious of his driving because the next time he might get the punishment intended for the offense.

OF course we can never forget that there is always Human Nature involved the application of any corporal punishment, whether it is a spanking at school, the issueing a traffic ticket, or a whipping. That the authority and power implied within those who have the power to administer any punishment can be abused by even the best of us no matter what our intentions may be.

It is that possible Evil that is within all of us that is so easily played upon, by others, in such things as "Uncle Toms Cabin" and "The Whipping Man". That we can so easily play upon the evil in all mens hearts for the benefit of a political objective. In the case of Uncle Tom's Cabin it lead to a Greater Evil, a War that caused the death of over 600 Thousand soldiers and unknown millions more of the civil population. "The Whipping Man" appears to play upon that same objective. To continue to creat barriers between peoples so that we remain at odds with each other.