tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post467870240691734575..comments2023-10-05T07:46:44.392-04:00Comments on And Now the Screaming Starts: True Crime: "I still have 83 more women to kill."CRwMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-48715688222877642142010-08-06T12:14:53.459-04:002010-08-06T12:14:53.459-04:00Great points that you've brought up, but like ...Great points that you've brought up, but like you said, they bring up more questions on the matter than giving any definite answers. I don't think there really can be surefire solutions in a situation like this. <br /><br />When you mentioned the normalization of serial killers in the Western world, it made me think of those trading cards that detailed the exploits of murderers (John Cozzoli discussed one series in this post: http://www.zomboscloset.com/zombos_closet_of_horror_b/2010/07/52-famous-murderers-no-bubblegum.html). Now the average person may only see these as gruesome tidbits, but depicting serial killers through a medium such as trading cards might impress upon somebody's mind that these murderers are not REAL people who committed REAL crimes, thus taking away the gravity of their acts. In a world that's seen the likes of Pokemon and the gang, it could be possible that these murderers might be seen by some as nothing but fantastic caricatures in their trading card form.<br /><br />You also brilliants defended the article against the accusations of racism made on its account. To me it seems a bit ridiculous that people should look at this as a vendetta against a certain race. Like you said, it's about MURDERERS! There's not much in the way of praise to say about them, no matter what the color of their skin may be. Sometimes people try to uphold politically correct standards more than should be legally allowed.Jose Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18152405075039057304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-17239503331020148022010-08-05T23:00:50.481-04:002010-08-05T23:00:50.481-04:00I should add that the article has been accused of ...I should add that the article has been accused of racism for perpetuating a stereotype of Africa that's all ritual murder and violence and savagery. I can see where such critics are coming from, but I think that accusation is unjust. It is an article about serial killers. It's going to be about violent people doing crappy things. It is, by the nature of the topic it discusses, not going to focus on the best and most wonderful aspects of the many different and varied countries of Africa. Certainly, if this was all a reader knew about Africa, they'd have a profoundly skewed view of an entire continent. But are we really going to hold every person who writes anything about Africa to the standard of "you must represent every aspect of life everywhere in the continent or you must not write"? Seems like an impossible standard.CRwMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-55907980323680648412010-08-05T22:51:44.693-04:002010-08-05T22:51:44.693-04:00Mr. Monster,
I'm not sure I have a "take...Mr. Monster,<br /><br />I'm not sure I have a "take" on it, in the sense that I have a sort of "here's the answer to this." But it brings several observations and questions to mind.<br /><br />First, there's a cultural narrative of serial killers in America that chooses to see them as manifestations of a Western culture in decline. From <i>American Psycho</i> to true crime retellings that imply that serial killers are some manifestation of modern anomie, there's this sense that serial killers are a first world, Western problem. This would seem to put paid to that notion. Which raises the question: What is it about wealthy Westerners that makes them so erroneously assume that they've got some corner on the serial killer market?<br /><br />Second, there's the weird "normalization" of serial killing in some communities. I had drinks with a friend tonight and we discussed the story. She noted the use of witch killing as a cover for serial murder in modern Africa and wondered how many European Inquisitors might have been normalized serial killers. Which got me thinking: What normalizing cultural norms do we have that integrate serial killers?<br /><br />Third, there was a TED talk I linked to earlier that suggested that brain structures in violent murderers might actually be selected for in violent contexts. The researcher suggested that there might be a biological vicious cycle in violent countries. If so, how do we break that? How long before such a cycle could be disarmed?<br /><br />To me, this raises more questions than it answers.CRwMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07896615209770501945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34993991.post-58955641731299963602010-08-05T21:30:24.999-04:002010-08-05T21:30:24.999-04:00Chilling and thought-provoking material you've...Chilling and thought-provoking material you've provided here. We lightly touched on some of these aspects in a sociology class I took, but not on accounts quite as ghastly as these. If you don't mind saying, what's your take on the matter?Jose Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18152405075039057304noreply@blogger.com