I find your take of the shooting the more convincing one thus far. But the “Fog of Bullshit” being expelled from the media orifice is still too thick to get an accurate sense of things, so I find it reasonable to withhold judgement and have a wait-and-see position.

But what I think doesn’t matter to the vast majority who’ve already made up their minds, and whichever way the facts lay out won’t change their position. People are not inherently rational, and they tend to be even less so when stressed or under attack (or perceived to be). They will make blindly make heroes of the one(s) involved “on their side”, no matter what their sordid past was or how stupid they were by putting themselves in that situation. If this isn’t the trigger equivalent to the self-immolation that kicked off the Arab Spring, IMO it’s at least likely to inspire the imminent event that WILL be.

So in the larger picture of American society, it doesn’t matter whether it was really self-defense or murder. The ball is already rolling, and this kid’s innocence or guilt won’t change what’s coming. I see a lot on both sides working themselves up to dehumanize the other, and the madness of crowds is picking up steam.

Watching this from abroad, it’s kinda like seeing one’s hometown in a f***ed up reality show. My heart breaks seeing it, yet I am beyond grateful that I’m not IN it…

That contest sounds like fun