Our Depraved Sick Society, and the George Zimmerman Verdict

Following is a complete verbatim AP story from our 7/12 local paper:

POLICE: MAN CRASHED KID’S PIZZA PARTY

SEATTLE – Seattle Police say they arrested a man who crashed an 8-year-old child’s party, ate several pieces of pizza and took two balloon animals.
Parents told police they asked the 28-year-old man to leave after he joined the children’s party at Green Lake on Wednesday evening. However, police say the shirtless, shoeless man refused and got into a “very heated” exchange with the families at the party. The families called police.
In a release on their website, police say the man appeared to be under the influence of a “potent relaxant of some kind.”

I’ve reviewed Pinker’s book on the decline of violence. Now I guess his whole theory is out the window.

Seattle police evidence photo

What kind of sick society is this where a man – shirtless and shoeless no less! – can come to a party uninvited! And eat “several” pizza pieces! (Was there no stopping him after the first?) And take two balloon animals! As if one was not enough to slake his depraved lust. And then there was not just a heated exchange but a “very heated” exchange! Police had to be called!

What’s really so revolting is that tender little children had their innocence brutally shredded. Imagine the emotional scarring. Therapists will have employment for decades to come (on our taxpayer’s dime, probably).

The story says the perp seemed to be under the influence of a “potent relaxant.” I feel I need a pretty potent relaxant myself to calm my shattered nerves after exposure to such upsetting reportage.

* * *

On a more serious note, we also had the George Zimmerman acquittal. We must remember that our rule of law requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt; and if ever there was a case full of doubt about what exactly happened, this was it. On the other hand, it did seem surprising that Zimmerman was not even convicted of some lesser offense, since it appeared obvious that the whole episode resulted from his going looking for trouble.

But the real news here was the dog that did not bark. While there was inevitable protest at the verdict in this racially charged case, there has been – with only very minor exceptions – an absence of violent backlash or rioting, with instead mostly decorous civilized demonstrations. I was quite impressed with the dignified restraint of one protester, interviewed on the news. Yet again we see that we do learn lessons from the past; we do grow better; we do make progress.

Notwithstanding the occasional episode of unauthorized pizza consumption and balloon theft.