A textbook case

A few years back, I did a series here on Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo's study of evil, The Lucifer Effect (search in corner of blog for more). People--especially people in power--tend to blame evil actions on the disposition of the perpetrator. Zimbardo's research and that of many other scientists has shown that situations and the systems that sustain them are the real vectors of evil.

 I couldn't help but be reminded of his work when I read this article about the football uber alles culture of Penn State and the backlash against a woman who tried to stand up to it. It's a good example of how evil spreads and grows. Note: it usually starts pretty small and doesn't see itself as evil.

OK, I'M STILL DOWN WITH ZOMBIE FEVER, but here's an encouraging link about how people in the eastern panhandle of WV are protesting Governor Tomblin's child care cuts. Let there be more.