Locals usually don't ever share, too many blood/friendship/my own guilty secrets ties. I spent a lot of time in one of them small towns, learned the ropes, and a lot of secrets. I wouldn't have opened my mouth either, ever - still won't. You see, everything and everyone are very closely tied together. Where I came from, you rat me, I rat you or worse; too many buried bodies/secrets; over the years, it just don't pay. What's done is done, buried and over with, life goes on, and EVERYONE knows it.
Just my opinion from living in a tiny place with a lot of sins. Steven King sorta outed small town living, but in the end he had to tell the secrets to sell his books. I know, I know, his was fiction, but what went on is common to small towns, in the main - just another opinion of mine.
also, certain towns have this base need to not look bad and be judged by others. They would rather lie or keep important info from cops, than to have outsiders think their town is trashy. I see the same thing, where I live. I noticed an article from the newspaper editor, where he repeated a 'fact' about a local teacher, over and over. I finally thought, 'who is he trying to convince'. She was run off, (I know her), and he kept saying she resigned, to pursue other interests. Technically yes, she did resign, but only to keep the word 'fired' off her record. This is a small town, and a certain group of parents who run the school, wanted a younger, prettier, teacher/coach for their daughters. The editor knows this lady was shafted, but instead of writing the truth, about how the school's only play off coach was treated, he globs on to technicalities, and runs with them. Several yrs ago, the paper ran an editorial about how our school system had never had 1 single fight, until the hurricane victims moved in. Really!!! All our gang and violence problems were their fault! Never mind that when a tv station was here covering a story, a fight broke out in the cafeteria and a girl knocked all of another girl's teeth out...right there on camera. Deny, deny, deny. Crimes go unreported, unpunished, all depending on what people are involved. One time, GMA came here to cover a Christmas festival, but once here, they changed the theme to all the kids who were doing without, and asked for donations. Our 'high society' folks were hopping mad, and THEN donated the necessary money. Can't have outsiders thinking we're not perfect. I can say without a doubt, if something like Haleigh Cumming happened here, the media would be run off. Nobody would talk to them and the consensus would be, 'go away, so our perfect little town can get back to being perfect'. And the 'high society' folks would be livid if the family was poorer and lived on the wrong side of the tracks. (yes, we have a right side and wrongs side. I was raised on the wrong side). The town's main focus would be horror that outsiders thought these particular people represented the 'type' of people who reside here. Really, what it boils down to, is most people, (not all, but most), don't care if a child is murdered, especially a poor child. Image is more important. MOO
