Never pity yourself

You cannot be among the top with a victim mentality.

- Aaz

Twelve Angry Men

An old man's testimony has the potential to put a youth (the accused) in the electric chair. However, his testimony seems to disagree with certain facts. But why would he lie?

text from:
http://classweb.howardcc.edu/jbell/ideabook/angrymen.pdf

"...Juror #9 then said that he had watched the old man for a long time in court. He noticed that he had a tom jacket and walked dragging a leg. He believed that the old man had never had any recognition, that nobody knew him, and that it was a sad thing to be nothing, so maybe he made himself believe it for his "15 minutes of fame". Juror #5 then changed his vote to not guilty..."

In the entire movie, I found this to be the most astute bit of reasoning. Why? Because very few people can perceive and interpret human nature as it is. It may not be easy to commit murder, but it is incredibly easy for an unfulfilled person to push a man to the guillotine for "15 minutes of fame". Doesn't the person feel guilty? Of course not! He has wiped out all memory, and overwritten it with belief. Why should he care for a world that does not care for him?