Through books, series, movies and conversations I see a lot of idolizing of killers. I'm not talking about your soldierly type (which some here love and some hate) but more the anti-social serial/mass murderer kind of sicko that go around offing people in horrifyingly inventive ways.

In the flicks/series you see them attributed with close to supernatural stealth, speed, intelligence through the roof not too mention some kind of weird cross between courage/resolve/obsession.

Maybe I am wrong to call it admiration, but I've overheard your typical "did you hear about the guy down in X who did Y to Z people" and the tone isn't disdain, but more morbid fascination. Sure right off the bat in media you usually get the "hang 'em high" tones, but give it some years and I swear they are slowly turned into some kind of weird superheroes.

I just wonder why this is?

I don't know. Maybe we don't like to admit that something we fear so much can really be so unremarkable.

The idea that society is ruined by people who are just pathetic and disaffected and mentally ill is hardly as romantic as the idea that society is stalked by brutal geniuses.

Maybe there's a built-in measure of respect, because it would be unwise to take something dangerous lightly. Look at the black widow - a simple spider, nothing too special. But it has a symbolic power due to its ability to cause harm.

Maybe re-imagining dangerous things lets us come to terms with them, or gain a sense of control over them.

Serial killers are glamourized in the states because of tv and cinema. Its probibly also a reason we have so many of them in relation to other countries.

Oh ****, he ate what? Just like hannabal the cannibal baby!

KILLERS ARE RAD

Well, also remember that police forces in other countries:

1.) Don't share information on crimes of this nature as well as your country does between different agencies and geographical areas.
2.) Does rarely have the competence to recognize this type of crime for what it is.

Which leaves the scary prospect that one of the reasons your country has a high amount of these individuals is that you actually discover them and find them.

Or maybe a combination.

It rings a bell atleast, and your example of deadly animals certainly rings true. Still, some extremely dangerous animals such as Hippos don't get these reputations...it can seem like there is an element of "esthetics" to the thing.

I'm sure thats probably true to an extent but I still think we hold the prize. We certainly have the hall of fame pretty locked IMO.

It's really an open question, isn't it? Like so many things you can't automatically discount the possibility that we're just seeing the effects of an open, aggressive media or a socially homogenous place where things are discussed out in the open.

Where's the serious study? If not, get crackin' grad students.

Recall that in the last year the smallish country of Finland has had the equivalent of over 20 Columbine massacres, adjusting for population size...

Are you talking about some sort of media-made "epidemic", or more that the information is now simply available to us?

Are hippos really dangerous? Obviously if you try to wrestle one, but in general? I would think they're pretty easy to avoid. Are they aggressive? Also, there's some indication that hippos were the "behemoths" of old.

Still, yeah, there may be other considerations. And to some extent maybe just random cultural influence, or a confluence of other factors and values that the killer is a good fit for.

We probably have some latent aggressive instincts that need some outlet. The most violent warriors have often been glorified.

They share Africa's rivers with crocodiles. They have to be.

While there are clearly twinges of the former, I'd bet that the latter is the case.

But I don't really know. The Son of Sam doesn't get much ink if he lives half way up the Congo, however.

Yes, they are extremely dangerous and afaik are the non-insect animal in Africa that causes the most human deaths, they are also extremely aggressive, they'll also outrun any humans and can chose from crushing you with a bite, stomping you or charging you.

I remembering seeing a documentary on TV where they used a white shark observation cage to film Hippos, and a hippo bit it in half.

I also did some googling to factcheck:

Wiki:
Animalbytes:

That is true. Actually it would seem what we deem a sociopathic killer might go by completely unnoticed in troubled regions of the world.

People are people. People have a dark side to them and society has been repressing evolutionary instinct that rewards aggressive actions such as killing. Why else would I enjoy the crushing hits in football so much?

I think your choice of words explains it perfectly. It is fascinating because it is so morbid. Whenever studies come out about what really interests people, it's always things that are central to our existence: eating, defecating, procreating, killing, dying, etc. I think there are a few neuro studies on what areas of the brain light up when presented with these stimuli, but I can't remember where they are from.

I'm not sure disdain is the appropriate emotion either. Maybe the fascination is more with the lines which some people cross.

This thread is absolute BS. Most people have purely negative views of serial killers.

I think we've just become desensitized to it. If any of those slasher scenes were to be experienced first hand, the viewers would be emotionally fukced for life. But, from the comfort of our own couch, or a crowded theather, it just isn't real enough to affect us, IMO.

I wonder what is the justification, if any, for enjoying a slasher movie with about 10 or 11 brutal murder scenes, and not enjoying a movie packed with scenes of brutal rape and child molestation. To me, brutal murder, brutal rape, and child molestation are all equally (roughly) immoral.

Yes, I think that is an answer that starts touch the areas where we might find the answers.

Maybe, but that doesn't really contradict anything said in this thread.

Very few people thinks highly of the actual acts of brutality. The question has really become twofold now:

1. Why are we so fascinated by them (and we are, these kinds of acts and people produce an enormous amount of movies, books, television series, documentaries etc.) I think turn_prophet touched on something important here.

2. Why do we in stories very often attribute these people with very admirable traits (it differs alot from story to story - but typical ones include intelligence, speed, strength, charisma, stealth and/or resolve). I think madnak's post was very good on this.

If you are going to have really cool sexy cops with fancy laser dohickies solving crime you have to start having super villains as their foil to make good TV.

Some people certainly don't, these guys have fan clubs.

Thats obviously true and I dont thank anyone disputes that. What were talking about I think is what reasons we seem to be fascinated by them. CSI,Dexter,Silence of the lambs we do seem to get enjoyment out of them on TV more than any other type of deviant.

I think it has a lot to do with understanding how people are capable of doing such horrible things. I have always been fascinated with serial killers. I dont believe evil exists as a quality inside anyone. I think evil is simply a classification for actions or people responsible for those actions. It interests me to understand what factors led to someone killing innocent people for the thrill or sexual gratification.

In trying to understand humanity and life in general it seems like the most dysfunctional people would be an important area of attention. I have always been interested in what created the conditions that turned someone into a serial killer. The recipe for a serial killer most often is the result of natural psychological problems combined with an early life of abuse and or isolation.

agreed with all of this, well put.

OP:

Probably for the same reason people (some) have that little sense of disappointment (disappointment may be the wrong word) when a hurricane only turns out to be a category 1 instead of a 2 or 3. I'm guessing a small part of us likes destruction (would explain all the wars anyways).. probably ties in with some of our natural tendencies.. Of course society and being bludgeoned with violence through media might have something to do with it too.. some things you hear are just stranger than fiction and it's so outside of the realm of comprehension I think you can't help but be fascinated by it.. especially when you're detached from the events, just hearing or reading about it on TV or in the newspaper.