[jobim]

I noticed, for example, that murderers who had stabbed someone always said of the fatal moment that “the knife went in.” This was an interesting locution, because it implied that it was the knife that guided the hand rather than the hand that guided the knife. It is clear that this locution serves to absolve the culprit, at least in his own mind, from his responsibility for his act. It also seeks to persuade the listener that the culprit is not really guilty, that something other than his decisions led to the death of the victim. This was so even if the victim was a man against whom the perpetrator was known to have a serious grudge, and whom he sought out at the other side of the city having carried a knife with him.

From the latest issue of Imprimus. The entire essay is a treasure trove of social dysfunction analysis, a MUST READ.

[jobim]

http://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/current

[papertyger]

The entire essay is a treasure trove of social dysfunction analysis, a MUST READ.

It is always a joy to find a man of letters articulate truths I have thus far only been able to conceptually infer.

Thank you for the reference.