Quote:
Originally Posted by jstubbs
I don't think it's any different than the concept of "nostalgia goggles". When looking back on things, we always seem to perceive them to be better than they actually were, and focus more on remembering the good things and not the bad. Think about your first vehicle you ever had, and it'll probably be all good things you think about in regards to it, and not how it was probably a massive pile of junk.
Mix that with a yearning mother and sympathy and positive remembrance comes about.
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Yeah, I'm not sure why people are surprised that the guy's mother remembers him fondly. Like, if you went off the rails and did something horrible would you expect your mom to disown you to the media?
There's probably an element of cognitive dissonance too. How many of us have had friends that we defended for things we'd condemn strangers for? We have an image of the person in our heads and their bad behaviour contradicts it. We can't simultaneously believe they're a good person and that they do bad things.
To be clear, I'm not condoning what the guy did or trying to paint him in a sympathetic light, at all. I do understand why his mother would, though.