Spaznik, your comments read like a beautiful rant against injustice. I could read it again and again. I like your inclusion of concepts like shame, the "life sentence" quality of Witness shunning, and appropriate use of shunning. I, too, have shunned some people when they have gone too far. When having them in my life just means more pain, more harm, I walk away.
Choosing life, I agree with the insanity of shunning teenagers. Theirs is a vulnerable group, dependent on solid people to carry them through the chaotic years. If a Witness teen faces the spectre of shunning, they will shut up and carry their weakness/burden/failing alone. How terrible is that? All the more reason to delay baptism.