Exclusion – dealing with people who cannot be tolerated in society

A recent comment (thanks, Steve) triggered some thoughts which we’d like to share. And explore.

Coventry is an idea proposed many times but perhaps best known in Heinlein’s version. The basic concept is similar to penal colonies in general: particularly the larger ones, like the present State of Georgia, or present New South Wales or Victoria State in Australia. It serves a dual purpose: to protect society from the actions of the convict (and at less cost and more humanely than a term in jail or prison, or execution) and to deny the felon most if not all of the benefits of society – to cast him or her out, to banish or excommunicate them.

It is a long traditional method of dealing with those who commit acts of aggression and do other “uncivil” things – including teaching matters contrary to the wishes of the powers that be. Does it work? Read on and see.

Here are some extracts (edited) from our discussion on the comment.

You are not the only one to suggest exclusion, and I appreciate your thoughts about it.

Although today we condemn deportation, especially for criminals, and penal colonies, L Neil Smith was not the first person (or SF writer) to suggest that solution: Heinlein’s Coventry, somewhere in Wyoming or Montana being one example. And it is actually an ancient concept: both in ancient Rome and in the New Testament. In the New Covenant of Jesus, the Law of Moses’ punishments were eschewed for a much simpler punishment: withdrawal of fellowship – known also as shunning or what Catholics call ex-communication. This custom is not just denying “the sacraments” but having other members of the community to have nothing at all to do with the person who sinned against others and refused to repent.

There was another SF writer (Eric Frank Russell) who explained how: Freedom = I Won’t! I won’t have anything to do with you because you are a plague on my society, my community. I won’t sell anything to you, I won’t buy anything from you, I won’t hire you, I won’t listen to you. And if you (or someone else) try to force me to do so, I will defend myself against you. Oh, and MYOB (Mind your own business!) That is the only form of punishment New Testament christians should be practicing, and I think such a thing might work against those uncivil parasites you bring up.

If thirty years ago I was to tell you that a person could be a boy in the morning a girl in the afternoon and a dog at night, you would say I am crazy. If 30 years ago I said boys should play in girls’ sports, go into the girl’s locker room, walk through their locker room naked and take a shower you would say I’m insane.

How about insisting going to war with a country that has the most atomic bombs on the planet, cheering on war, death and destruction, you would say I’m nuts. Think about being ok with giving billions of taxpayer dollars to terrorists that hate us and want to kill us, I won’t even bring up the wide-open borders!! It seems the only time the democrats are civil is when they’re in power, taking our freedoms, crushing the middle class and robbing us blind. Can you say Bolsheviks?

Morally, spiritually and psychologically there is something really evil going on within the whole of the Democrat Party. (Not that the GOP is much, if any, better.) As they become more marginalized they become more unhinged and the more unhinged they become the more marginalized they become.

These people should be institutionalized but for the las four years they were running America. They have become insane! (And of course those who support them need to be dealt with carefully. Insanity is indeed catching!)

If having a flag with a flagpole at a demonstration is a weapon, what is waving a cane in a threatening manner 20 feet from the sitting president? Now this crowd encourage this behavior and blame Trump. Is this being of sound mind? As they become more extreme and more outlandish we are heading towards violence on the streets like they promoted during their summer of love, the occupy movement summer, and of course the black lives matter period. I only hope this time they are put where they belong, behind bars or in padded cells.

Or so one reader thinks.

To TPOL, such madness brings yet another reason to distrust and de-legitimize government. Especially democracy. Perhaps even worse than the “two lions and a lamb” electorate, two crazy people and a reasonably sane (and sensible) person result in the same nasty situation.

All of which leads us to see the value of severing relations as much as possible with the crazies, and making sure that they do not outvote us – by ever more greatly reducing the powers of government.

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Source: https://freedombunker.com/2025/05/12/exclusion-dealing-with-people-who-cannot-be-tolerated-in-society/