George Zimmerman, Duke lacrosse and To Kill a Mockingbird (vanity)

The demand that Zimmerman be found guilty and punished, before anything resembling a trial or hearing of the facts has been held, greatly resembles other incidents in history and literature.

To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, with an excellent movie released in 1962. It tells the story of a black man accused of the rape of a white woman. In it the town and jury, despite strong evidence of the innocence of the accused, closes ranks to convict him. For the simple reason that convicting him, in their minds, served the purpose of a higher truth. That "they" need to be kept in their place. The actual guilt or innocence of the accused was irrelevant, as the purpose of the trial was mainly to demonstrate social outrage and reinforce social norms. IOW, it was a ritual.

In the Duke lacrosse case of a few years back, the initial reaction was identical. Guilt or innocence of the accused wasn't really relevant, as the purpose of the controversy was to demonstrate social outrage and reinforce social norms. The ritual was aimed at increasing solidarity between the groups that felt threatened, just as in TKAM. The groups involved were obviously very different, but the social dynamic was identical.

In the Duke case, the ritual fell apart as the case eventually collapsed. But if not for the internet, which greatly limited the power of the media gatekeepers, the players might very well have been convicted anyway.

In the Zimmerman case we see this again. What actually happened that night is for many irrelevant. Mostly on the left, although also for a few on the right.

What is important is that, as in TKAM and at Duke, the case illustrates a "higher truth." What really happened just isn't important.

"What is important is that, as in TKAM and at Duke, the case illustrates a 'higher truth.' What really happened just isn't important."

"What really happened" is truth.
The "higher truth" is nothing more than untruth.
The fundamental evil beneath the decadence that threatens to destroy the United States and Western Civilization is mendacity, contempt for truth. It's frightening and apalling to watch people jump on the bandwagon, their passion untempered by concern for truth.

And once a consensus is formed, it becomes the "reality". This is the evil that is the Left: mendacious groupthink.

If you parse it out, you will realize that a monopoly of journalism would naturally lead to mendacious groupthink in journalism. And a monopoly of journalism is precisely the intent and effect of the Associated Press.
The comparison, which I think is apt, of the Zimmerman case to the TKAMB story puts me in mind of another story:

The Lottery
Shirley Jackson
That’s a short story that I was required to read in college, IIRC, and which really seemed “off the wall” to me at the time. The “lottery” of the title, tho, was one people were desperate not to “win.” The “winner," in this dystopian tale, was stoned to death by the community. I didn’t see the relevance to anything then, but now I’m not so sure that we don’t have our very own version of it. In the sense that George Zimmerman “won” that lottery when he made news for (so he says) defending himself against Trayvon Martin. And just as that fictional “lottery” wasn’t a one-time deal but occurred regularly, so we have had the Twana Brawley hoax and the Crystal Mangum hoax and the Trayvon Martin (well, we don’t officially know it’s a hoax yet, but the usual suspects who were wrong in those cases are now touting this one) rush to judgement. Plus innumerable hit pieces on politicians who (however cautiously) represent the middle class.
The one thing that distinguishes the fictional TKAMB from the real cases I mention is the fact that TKAMB featured a politically correct victim, whereas in the real world politically correctness is not the solution but part of the problem the victim faces.

And just as that fictional “lottery” wasn’t a one-time deal but occurred regularly, so we have had the Twana Brawley hoax and the Crystal Mangum hoax and the Trayvon Martin (well, we don’t officially know it’s a hoax yet, but the usual suspects who were wrong in those cases are now touting this one) rush to judgement.

True, but even stopped clocks and all that.

The kid may not have been a boy scout, but his apparently not having a criminal record probably put him in the top 10% for his peer group in the straight arrow category.

It is likely we will never know exactly what happened that evening. Either, both or neither of these guys may have been guilty of criminal actions. It seems indisputable the fight and death could have been avoided if either of them had made other decisions.

The accused became a symbol of what the accusers hated, making his conviction necessary, regardless of the facts, if they were to maintain their worldview. It’s a lot easier to hate a symbol than a person.

This is the entirety of Hillary's hold on her "army," which in turn is just an amplification of the general liberal control principle run by RINOs and Leftists.

It makes abject cowards out of former human beings.

Yes, it does seem that either of them could have avoided the contretemps. It also seems that the only reason this is a nationwide story is the race of the deceased and that the survivor was of a different race.
The real story to me is the response of the (theoretically) responsible individuals - the POTUS, black Christian pastors, and (most tenuously theoretical of all) “objective” journalism. We have true vigilanteism on parade in the public offer of money for the whereabouts of a (also theoretically) innocent man. Altho I have to say, that is more like KKK activity than vigilanteism . . .

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