We don't go into a state of shock when something big and bad happens; it has to
be something big and bad {\em that we do not yet understand}. A state of shock is
what results when a gap opens up between events and our initial ability to
explain them. When we find ourselves in that position, without a story, without
our moorings, a great many people become vulnerable to authority figures telling
us to fear one another and relinguish our rights for the greater good.