so when is the student council going to grow up?
Never.
I've seen this play a number of times, at a few different theaters, just with different productions and actors. This happens exactly the same way every time, so much so, I swear there is a book somewhere with these exact steps laid out.
This is generally how it rolls:
1) In their mind, they're always right. Different participants have different motivations. They think they're the smartest people, sticking with their bros no matter what, greasing for a "real" management gig, or they're simply a true believer. Ultimately it doesn't matter.
2) They'll react badly to anyone with a different option because see #1. You're either wrong in their mind, going against management, crapping on their buddy or messing up their good deal. Any which way, you're the bad person, and need to be squelched. When they can't kill the different point of view, they'll try to drown it in the "repeat something often enough and it becomes the truth", and when that doesn't work, they'll get personal.
3) When, ultimately, everyone notices how messed up things are, and elect to go a different direction, they'll protest loudly and THEN totally salt the earth, because only THEY are allowed to be right.
4) They'll all hold grudges, look for payback and otherwise poop on whatever good things come down the pike later, even if their personal situation benefits from it.
Now you would think that some form of compromise or "hey, maybe these other guys have a point" would enter into the conversation at any one of these steps, but there is always some kind of cult of personality in play....either with one person in particular or a tight group of buddies. This bubble is pretty much immune to any kind of reason. My theory, and it is only that, is that there is some kind of internal peer pressure, alpha-influence group dynamic going on. Even people on the outside of the orbit are drawn back in by the dynamic. It's really kind of weird to see it in action, even with people who can nominally think for themselves. Even people who are ejected from the group for, gosh, having different ideas, act in some really strange co-dependent fashion afterwards.
