The Trial of a Serial Killer: Robert Pickton

1544 Words4 Pages

A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it, (Lapham, 1985). Unfortunately, such acts of rampage have become a prevalent factor in the Canadian culture. As a result of endless media coverage, Canadians now are constantly bombarded with countless images of violence. Many of which often portray a victim avenging their opponent by force. Thus, indoctrinating individuals to believe that it is only through aggression that problems are resolved. Rather than being punished for acts of violence, those who commit such offenses are often praised for their “heroism”. In addition, the success of films like The Godfather, Gladiator, and Troy further aid in reinstating we live in a society that praises violence. Furthermore, this ideology allows for people to partake in violent acts with little or no backlash from ones community. However, when an person strays away from the “norm”, they are likely to then be viewed as a deviant. Such cases of rejection within a society, are often seen in the portrayal of serial killers. Although our society tends to condone violence when it is directed towards a specific individual(s), it does not allow the killing of innocent bystanders. Instead, crimes that are targeted against a number of people over a long period, entail the harshest forms punishments under the law. Sadly, in executing the law for said crimes, those in charge often face much public scrutiny. Such occurrences were apparent in the faulty murder investigations of Canada's most notorious serial killer Robert Pickton. This is due to the fact that, the negligence of the Vancou...

... middle of paper ...

...ller-robert-pickton-book (date accessed:25 May 2003).

CTVNews. (2009). Pickton tells police he planned one more. Retrieved from http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20100809/pickton-tape-100809/

(date accessed:25 May 2003).

Matas,R.(2007, October 17).Defence rests in Pickton case. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from archives http://www.theglobeandmail.com/archives/defence-rests-in-pickton-case/article789013/

(date accessed:25 May 2003).

Serial Killer. (2009) Retrieved from http://www.serialkillers.ca/robert-william-pickton/

(date accessed:25 May 2003).

Shore, R.( 2010, August 9).Young Willie Pickton was shattered by the slaughter of his pet. The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from archives http://communities.canada.com/VANCOUVERSUN/blogs/greenman/archive/2010/08/09/young-willie-pickton-was-haunted-by-the-slaughter-of-his-pet.aspx (date accessed:25 May 2003).

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