I remember being a very young man when I first encountered the now cult scene from the hit series Roots, in which the unfortunate Kunta Kinte is whipped into accepting his new name “Toby” by the merciless slave owner John Waller.
He is very publicly broken, humiliated and submitted in the most appalling, yet perfectly legal manner (at that time in history).
The public nature of his torment sets and example and acts as a warning to others who would contradict the powers that be; “dissent at your peril”.