Once you accept that humans are emotional creatures first, and then capable of reasoning, it will make sense. People don't care too much about facts, they care about what they feel more.
The problem here isn’t emotions, it’s selfishness. When people say a lack of leadership, they mean a lack of giving a fuck about someone other than yourself. These kids only cared about themselves. They still only care about themselves!
> Jones’ classmates also came off as complicated figures, brilliant and with seemingly endless potential, but so used to diminishing resources that many didn’t see themselves as victims. It’s the resigned lack of ambition... [Jones] found soft drinks and apathy...
> ...many of the students involved grew more resentful and felt unheard.
> I’m not going to calm [the students] down. … I’m not going to try to silence them. If they’re angry and they want to march [to voice their anger at the news article], then I’m going to help them figure out how to do that.
> Tigueros [the student] added: “I’ve got kids now, and imagining that somebody would reveal the secrets that my daughter gave to somebody she trusted? It sounds horrific.”
> Jones didn’t write about the deepest personal secrets discussed in the center...
Tigueros, a now-adult student who was friends with Jones: verbatim only thinking about himself and his family in that quote. And the thing he says verbatim he worries about the most didn't even happen. It doesn't even make sense. It isn't horrific.
I know they were defenseless kids then. But there were also ambitious students at that school. Kids who would benefit from the funding that evaporated. What of them?
You're getting all of the above from a one-line quote saying a person who was an unwitting participant in this experiment now considers it to be unethical? Sorry, but it seems like you're looking for something to get mad about to shore up your (quite reasonable) objections to to a tax policy.