THE GRISLY ALL AMERICAN APPEAL OF SERIAL KILLERS

“In trying to make sense of the darkest extremes of human behavior, the public turns murderers into myths and monsters”

By: Julie Beckoct

Published: The Atlantic, October 21, 2014; http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/10/the-grisly-all-american-appeal-of-serial-killers/381690/  

Level of Difficulty: ***

BEFORE YOU READ

·        · 8 Serial killers who were never caught http://www.the-line-up.com/8-serial-killers-who-were-never-caught/
Video: Serial killers and pop culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCyt3vw7MFU  

QUESTIONS

1.       The story of the killer clown proves that………………………………………………………………………………

2.       The reason of the far less prevalent cases of murders by serial killers are remembered even years later is the fact that …………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3.       Dr. Scott Bon says people are endlessly fascinated by serial killers because they…………………….

4.       Do Marvel and Dave Corbone agree or disagree about the reason for the fascination with serial killers?

5.       What misguided opinion did the FBI disprove?

6.       The reasons why white male serial killers like Bundy, the Zodiac killer, the Green River killer and the like become famous are the facts that…………………………………………………………………….

7.       There is an element of racial bias in serial murder investigations because…………………………..

8.       The widely held erroneous belief about who exactly serial killers are is the fact that they are…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

9.       The link between the McDonald Triad and future violent behavior is non-existent / tenuous / valid / questionable.

10.   People prefer to think that serial killers are ………………………..rather than……………………………….

11.   Most serial killers are wrongly considered to be American because……………………………………….

12.   People’s growing insensitivity to violent crime has sparked the interest in…………………………….(Be specific and tweak the text)

13.   Why does the public lump real serial killers and fictional ones together?

14.   The reason for the emergence of the monster narrative is the fact that……………………………..

15.   When dealing with serial killers, the emphasis is on ………………….rather than………………………… This has lead to the line of fiction best described as ………………………………………………………………

16.   The idea that all people who enjoy graphic crime drama are just as bad as the villains is wrong because according to research, …………………………………………………………………………………..

17.   David Schmit believes people enjoy shows like Dexter because: mark true or false

·         The killers are more self centered

·         They want to go around murdering people

·         The killers  disregard social rules

·         The killers do whatever they want

·         They like the story line

18.   Now that you have studied the text carefully, decide where you would place the following subtitles:

·         A Popular Misconception Is Born

·         The Demise of the Serial Killer Cult

·         The Birth of the Monster Narrative

·         Why the Interest?

WRITING TASK

Use the text to write an essay explaining the reasons for the birth and growing popularity of the monster narrative.

THE GRISLY ALL AMERICAN APPEAL OF SERIAL KILLERS KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This topical text analyzes a widely popular genre on television and on screen and as such should appeal to students many of whom watch crime dramas. It should be interesting to see how objective they can be when looking at the issue.

1.       When it comes to serial killers, the myth is what matters

2.       Tales of domestic violence zoom in and out of news so frequently

3.       Are drawn to understanding the dark side and the dark side is part of the human condition

4.       They agree; both feel it is about the puzzle

5.       Serial killers are all men, all white, all evil geniuses or mentally ill

6.       Female serial killers tend to kill by less gory methods ; most serial killers tend to kill within their own race and white victims, especially white female victims, usually get wider media attention; serial killers who target minority victims are less likely to be caught.

7.       White neighborhoods are given priority over poor, black or Latino neighborhoods.

8.       Ordinary, white, male, middle class

9.       Questionable

10.   Deviant monsters; seemingly ordinary people

11.   The rates of violence in general and serial killer violence specifically are so much higher in the  US.

12.   Serial killers with extreme methods

13.   Because true crime shows often use fictional techniques to dramatize what they are showing and fictional shows draw upon real stories to give themselves authenticity.

14.   The media tends to paint serial killers as storybook villains.

15.   Conquering evil( or eliminating evil) ; understanding it; the monster hunt narrative

16.   Thrill watchers have high levels of adventure seeking but also high levels of empathy

17.   The second one is false, the rest are true

18.   A Popular Misconception Is Born: In the public imagination, serial killers tend to fit a certain stereotype

The Demise of the Serial Killer Cult: It’s been years since…

The Birth of the Monster Narrative: The serial killers who become famous are extreme…

Why the Interest? The public fascination with serial killers…