Titles Are Dumb But So Are Serial killers

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In America, violence has always been an integral part of national culture. Crime and bloodshed are glorified both on and off screen. The more disturbing the act of violence, the more enthralled the public seems. The most prolific of crimes, those committed by infamous serial killers, inspire the most attention. As said by Jeff Lindsay, creator of the book series that inspired the wildly-popular television program, Dexter, “We’re sickened and disgusted, but we need to know. And the more we know about the scene, the more we really are horrified” (“Sympathy for the Devils”). Violence, especially committed by this special class of felons, is enthralling. News reports play a role in this strange attraction, as it is through the news that people even have knowledge of such killers, but the evolution in the “serial killer genre” (Lindsay, “Sympathy for the Devils”) of film and television helps to desensitize people to the gruesome murders that are committed. This begs the question of whether this disturbing trend should be stopped, lest the American “culture of violence” (this has a source) continues to grow stronger. Through news reports, film, and television, criminals are constantly romanticized through use of sympathetic characterization and gratuitous depictions of their crimes, which lends to peoples’ increasingly positive attitudes toward violence and, in turn, feeds the growing culture of violence in America.

Representations of violence in the media (defined as through news, film, and television) throughout history have contributed to desensitization to violent actions.

Through use of character development, even the worst serial killers are portrayed in a manner that elicits a sympathetic response in the audience, effectiv...

... middle of paper ...

..." CNN. Cable
News Network, 20 July 2012. Web. 7 May 2014.

“Popping Cherry.” Dexter. Dir. Michael Cuesta. Perf. Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, and Jennifer
Carpenter. Showtime Networks, 2006. Netflix.

Ramsland, Katherine, Ph. D. “Serial Killer Groupies.” Crimelibrary.com. Crime Library, n.d.
Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Ramsland, Katherine, Ph. D. “Women Who Love Serial Killers.” Psychologytoday.com.
Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

“Six Months Ago.” Heroes. Dir. Allan Arkush. Perf. Hayden Panettiere, Ali Larter, Zachary
Quinto, and Noah Gray-Cabey. National Broadcasting Company, 2006. Netflix.

“Villains.” Heroes. Dir. Allan Arkush. Perf. Jack Coleman, Kristen Bell, and Zachary Quinto.
National Broadcasting Company, 2008. Netflix.

“The Wall.” Heroes. Dir. Allan Arkush. Perf. Milo Ventimiglia, Zachary Quinto, and Greg
Grunberg. National Broadcasting Company, 2010. Netflix.

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