Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

Newsletter Subscription

Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

Former Governor Ricardo Rosselló and Author Aaron Bare Urge America to ‘Flip the Incentives’ Driving Political Violence

News Source: Ricardo Rossello Nevares Foundation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept. 22, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Former Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Aaron Bare have released a joint essay, “The Perverse Mirror: Flipping Incentives Before Violence Becomes the Logic of the Game,” confronting the alarming rise of political violence in America and offering a hopeful path forward, the Ricardo Rossello Nevares Foundation announced today.

Former Governor Ricardo Rosselló
Photo caption: Former Governor Ricardo Rosselló.

The essay opens with recent tragedies, from the killing of Charlie Kirk on a Utah campus to the fatal shooting of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband. In each case, the response was not unity but division—tribal scorekeeping instead of shared mourning.

“Violence doesn’t stop the culture war—it fuels it,” said Rosselló. “Outrage has become currency. Every death is just another coin tossed into the partisan slot machine.”

THE ANATOMY OF PERVERSE INCENTIVES

Rosselló and Bare describe three layers of distortion that have rewired democracy to reward the wrong things:

  • Biological Hardware: Our brains are wired to detect threats faster than reason, making negative emotions spread more rapidly than positive ones.
  • Behavioral Software: Habits and metrics drift toward proxies—followers instead of influence, clicks instead of truth, fundraising instead of governing.
  • Institutional Cloudware: Media profits from eyeballs, not accuracy; politics rewards fearmongering, not solutions; bureaucracy prizes activity, not impact.

These distortions, they argue, create what they call “the perverse mirror”—a system where even the moral constant killing is wrong arrives with conditions.

ROSSELLÓ’S LIVED EXPERIENCE

Rosselló recounts becoming the target of “Telegramgate” in 2019, when leaked chats—distorted and stripped of context—ignited digital mob trials, protests, and death threats against his family. Though later cleared of corruption, the outrage had already forced him into exile.

“I didn’t need a bullet to experience political violence,” Rosselló said. “I lived it through mobs, headlines, and algorithms that valued clicks over truth.”

Yet his story is also one of redemption. In 2021, Puerto Ricans wrote his name onto ballots in sufficient numbers to elect him as the island’s first “shadow congressman,” chosen to advocate for statehood in Washington, D.C.

Author Aaron Bare
Photo caption: Author Aaron Bare.

A FRAMEWORK FOR CHANGE

Bare, who studies exponential systems and incentive structures, underscores the urgency of redesigning rules:

“If resilience can rebuild a leader, then courage can rebuild a nation,” Bare said. “Distortion is not destiny—small flips can restore balance in our lives, institutions, and politics.”

The authors propose “rule-change sprints” to realign incentives, such as:

  • Adding quality gates to replace volume-chasing.
  • Implementing justice-integrity scores for fairness beyond convictions.
  • Rewarding cross-tribe reach metrics to incentivize unity.

They also advocate building the “Radical Middle”—a rules-anchored common space where the quiet majority, roughly 80–85% of Americans, can unite to move forward instead of being drowned out by extremes.

A CALL TO ACTION

The essay closes with a challenge to citizens: resist the pull of outrage. Don’t take the mob’s invitation. Call a friend on the other team. Audit a metric. Take deep breaths.

“Most people, despite the noise, still want beautiful futures for their families,” Rosselló said. “The perverse stack tells us to win against. The virtuous stack tells us to build with. The first leaves ruin; the second builds civilizations.”

ABOUT RICARDO ROSSELLÓ

Ricardo Rosselló is the former Governor of Puerto Rico, scientist, entrepreneur and author of “The Reformers’ Dilemma.” He also served as Puerto Rico’s elected shadow congressman, advocating for statehood in Washington, D.C.

ABOUT AARON BARE

Aaron Bare is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of “Exponential Theory: The Power of Thinking Big,” a keynote speaker, futurist, and strategist advising global organizations on innovation, incentives, and the future of work.

ABOUT THE RICARDO ROSSELLO NEVARES FOUNDATION

The Rossello Foundation is a platform where leaders across sectors can unite to reject polarization, foster bipartisan collaboration, and develop innovative, long-term solutions to the most pressing and complex real-world challenges.

Learn more about the Ricardo Rossello Nevares Foundation at: https://ricardorossellofoundation.com/

PRESS CONTACT:
Forbes Shannon
Forbes@forbesfivehundo.com

MULTIMEDIA:

Photo link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0922-s2p-ressello-300dpi.webp

Photo Caption: Former Governor Ricardo Resselló.


This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Ricardo Rossello Nevares Foundation), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/former-governor-ricardo-rossello-and-author-aaron-bare-urge-america-to-flip-the-incentives-driving-political-violence/

Copr. © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, Calif., USA. -- REF: S2P STORY ID: S2P129464 FCN24-3B

 

INFORMATION BELOW THIS PAGE, IF ANY, IS UNRELATED TO THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.