But by his own admission Cash, a Berkeley University engineering student, watched Strohmeyer assault the girl and did nothing. His callous behavior caused Nevada last year to require anyone witnessing a violent crime against a child to notify the police. Nevada's law will not affect Cash. In today's society, tolerance often seems to be the highest virtue. But Iverson's brutal murder has caused Berkeley, long the repository of tolerant liberalism, to recognize the value of shame.
People tend to think of shame in more traditional societies like Japan.
Yet, shame played an important role in early America. But frustration with pervasive lawbreaking combined with concern over bulging prisons has caused shame to make a comeback as a form of punishment. The most important use of shame, however, is where the law does not reach. Cash and Strohmeyer were high school best friends who went gambling in mid-1997. Strohmeyer, who had a troubled past, lured Sherrice into a casino restroom where he raped and murdered her.