Tears of a Clown

It is one thing to notice that the emperor wears no clothes, it is quite another to publicly remark on this condition. The expected reaction is a beatdown by the emperor's cronies, lackeys and thugs or a polite nod and a shake of the head by those whose observation is aligned with the speaker but whose lives are better off pretending it is isn't. Then there are those who profess genuine outrage over this disclosure and they are a class unto themselves.
It truly blows my mind that we have not progressed beyond Plato's cave and allowed reason to overcome ignorance. Why do we rationalize the relative? Is it to preserve our sanity? Our morality? It makes no sense to me. Our cultural brain synapses are going to snap and the result will be terminal.