[Devil_Anse]

They latch on to one thing, take it out of context, and fail to thoroughly analyze it.

Exactly! These talking head shows are passion plays for the middle class. (Um, that would be... us.) They assign the roles of good guys and bad guys. And we cheer or jeer from the pit.

And embedded in the middle of these little theatrical productions are whatever messages they want to get out to the public. Such as, whatever messages Geragos might want to see thrown out there, to help him sway his jury later on.

[drjulie]

"Exactly! These talking head shows are passion plays for the middle class. (Um, that would be... us.) They assign the roles of good guys and bad guys. And we cheer or jeer from the pit."

Great sociological analysis! It led to me to think of the gladiators in ancient Rome. We have had some interesting discussions here on eyewitness testimony and reconstructive memory. Ironically, my American Psychologist Awards Issue just arrived today with an address by Elizabeth Loftis on reconstructive memory. She received one of the awards for distinguished application in psychology this past year. Clearly, this body of research has major implications for criminal investigations and trials.