In my last post, I talked about Linkin Park’s new singer and the negative criticism she’s received online.

I don’t think she did anything out of the ordinary. And I believe that almost anyone would have acted the same in her position.

We trust our friends, it’s as simple as that.

Armstrong didn’t defend Masterson’s actions, nor did she try and convince anyone that they were excusable. She defended him from accusations, prior to any presented evidence. Like any of us, she probably couldn’t imagine that her friend was capable of such acts.

Imagine if one of your closest friends was accused of some truly heinous crime. It’s cringy to even think of such a thing, let alone believe it.

Would you defend them? Of course you would. Even if there were subtle signs, friendship often causes blindspots to these things. Unless the signs are obvious, we default to trust — otherwise it wouldn’t be friendship.

When a friend is attacked, until evidence of guilt is clear, we defend them.

That’s how friendship works.

There is no shame in that.