Murdering Twats

[poliphilo]

It makes me angry that you can become famous for killing people.

I don't know if the Lake District shooter had fame in mind when he went on his spree, but the guy they're holding for the Bradford murders certainly did when he gave his name to the court as The Crossbow Cannibal.

What a stupid name! It's the sort of name a ten year old would think was cool. I wish the media wouldn't pander to the infantile mindset of such people by taking them at their own valuation- but, of course,  we all love a serial killer. I wish we didn't, but we do.

That's another thing that makes me angry- how our culture fetishizes the big-time murderers, gives them nicknames, writes books about them. I hate how serial killers dominate crime fiction- and how they're always portrayed as infernally clever- mad geniuses pitting their huge brains against the law.

In reality the serial killer is infantile, immature- and usually quite stupid- the sort of guy who thinks Crossbow Cannibal is a cool name.  I see the Lake District shooter is being described as a "quiet man". They usually are. Serial killers are nobodies who think they can big themselves up by killing.

Sad thing is, they're right. That angry little taxi driver who drank too much and liked to holiday in Thailand is famous now. His name (which I refuse to write) is going to live forever.

Comments

[redatt.livejournal.com]

I wince every time someone in the media repeats Stephen Griffiths' nom de guerre and won't use it myself, but as I understand it he didn't coin it. It was suggested by someone on Radio 4 last week that he gave that name because it had already been used in the media and I wish I could remember what programme I was listening t at the time so I could double check that!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It sounds like something that could have been invented by one of the red tops.