Dear Syag,
That was exactly what I was looking for! Especially this line. Is denial easier than shame? By the way, at about his age having been in a similar situation, I can a bit relate to the fear factor. But I realized that trouble would likely come find me, and I preempted it. This guy realized it too late.
I looked at the story a bit when it happened, now it is mostly forgotten. What bothered me is that I knew there would be a major prosecution, with an absurd emphasis on due process. But the murder story in itself is not exceptional outside of it’s context and implications for the national discussion. This same story plays out in boring fashion, daily in inner cities. And nobody cares. And it really bothers me, that both tribes gets mad at the other for politicizing the murder. But for murder itself, there is a high tolerance.
Now you ask if there is a limit to selling one’s intelligence for a seat at group think. It is not a necessary task. Group think is a took to cover for a lack of an intelligent argument. Intelligence can defeat the masses. Even though group think seeks to deny this possibility, it is still true.