Let's Talk About Serial Killers (And Why You Shouldn't Be Attracted to Them)

A post detailing the disturbing internet trend of worshiping convicted killers.

Ted Bundy in court

So,What Awful Thing Are We Discussing Today?

There are, as I'm sure you're aware by now, some pretty weird fandoms on the internet. From perversions of children's television shows, to a glorification of incest. Really - the internet has it all.

And, if like me, you spend enough time on websites such as Reddit, Tumblr, or even Twitter, you'll see some pretty disturbing things.

Everyone does! Which means that overall there's a desensitisation on the internet; people are so used to seeing strange or disturbing things that we often just brush it off.

However, there is one fandom that I've never quite been able to wrap my head around. One fandom which, any time I see it, makes me feel slightly sick to my stomach.

It is, in my opinion, worse than grown men making porn for cartoon horses.

That fandom? Well, it's the serial killer fandom.

Now, for as long as we've had a name for the act of serial murder, there have been fans of the people (most commonly men) behind the acts.

Previously, there was somewhat of an element of denial when it came to loving serial murderers. A famous example of this is Ted Bundy's wife, Carol-Ann Boone, who believed he was innocent. Leaving him after he confessed to his crimes.

However, in recent years the public's obsession with the true crime genre has been increasing rapidly. Platforms like Netflix have been using their format to introduce long form documentaries, such as Making a Murderer or The Keepers.

Therefore, these immersive explorations of cold cases have furthered the phenomena of true-crime obsessives.

As with everything, greater exposure and emphasis has led to a larger fandom.

But...Why Would Anyone be Attracted to a Serial Killer in the First Place?

Overall, the discussion as to why certain women become attracted to violent men is one which has several sides to it.

Some psychologists believe that the women see themselves as a force which will bring about the hidden good in the man.

This theory is favoured by David Schmid, the author of Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture. As he puts it: the saviour complex is definitely an important part of the phenomenon.

The idea of women wanting to 'save' damaged men makes even more sense when you look at trends in popular media.

Films such as Fifty Shades of Grey play up the idea of a woman changing the life of a man for good. Of course,it could be argued that this example doesn't work, as Christan Gray’s character isn't a murderer.

However, the character of Gray does commit acts of violence and oppression against his love interest, Ana. And yet, it was still the most successful 18 rated film of all time.

Therefore, there is weight to the argument that the normalisation of violence against women, coupled with the sociological idea that men can be 'cured' of their toxic behaviours, lends itself naturally to females finding serial killers attractive.

It has also been argued that the fact these men have already been convicted is appealing for women, particularly if they have already been in abusive relationships. Here, the fact the man is not physically accessible serves as a comfort to the women.

Additionally, a relationship like this almost becomes a kind of power play on behalf of the woman. Her having freedom of movement and access to the outside world, while the man is held in prison, is something which she can use to leverage against him.

Of course, there are also some more simplistic explanations than that: hybristophilia is the term given to someone getting sexually aroused over someone else committing a violent act.

This attraction to the violent nature of the serial killers, coupled with their notoriety, creates an intense object for the females attention. Through the man, they too can gain fame.

Okay... Where do the Internet Fandoms Come in?

The website Tumblr has sort of a bad reputation when it comes to fandoms. The most recent example includes it being suspended from the Apple app store due to the lack of policing content featuring pedophilia.

Naturally, then, it makes sense that Tumblr has one of the largest collections of serial killer fans.

A quick search, and you're likely to come across multiple blogs such as ted-bundy, where there are neatly organised tag systems and categories for each serial killer.

On platforms such as this, focus on the crimes that the men committed is secondary. Instead, the content is primarily focused on images of the men, coupled with internet jokes, known as 'memes'.

An example of the content featured on serial killer fan pages

The lack of focus on the actual crimes committed is one of the key problems with internet fandoms dedicated to men such as this.

Focusing on the man as opposed to the circumstances of the murders is what separates an obsessive fanatic with people who just have a passing interest in true crime.

One merely seeks to understand and document horrifying cases in human history, the other is someone excusing and explaining away the actions of these men.

The girls behind these fan blogs ignore the inherent violence of these men. Instead they focus their energy on sympathy, and fantasies where they are able to help the men from going down the wrong path.

Now, as I touched on earlier in this post - there's no denying that people who respected and fantastised about serial killers existed before the internet did. However, social media has changed how these people discuss such things: they're now able to gather as a collective. Strength in numbers.

Platforms like Tumblr also enable the users to be as anonymous with details of their real life as they want. Therefore, even if the fan in question is ashamed of expressing their interests to people they meet in day-to-day life, they now have a place where they can post it all.

What's There To Take Away From This, Then?

Normally at the end of my posts, I try to sum up how we can better improve this sort of situation in the future. How we can all move forwards from this.

However, when it comes to people who defend the brutal actions of these men, it's hard to see what can really be done to change the situation.

Still, I do think there are a few things we could do which would help manage the hero worship and disregard for the victims of these crimes.

Something that would majorly change the way crime is seen and reported on would be better victim support. More focus on the how the perpetrator hurt the victims, and less on his own personal motivations, would enable the public to extend their sympathy to those hurt, as opposed to the person doing the hurting.

I also think that mass media placing less value on patriarchy would be the next step. After all, if we actually began to label white school shooters as terrorists, rather than 'lone wolves', it might help highlight to these girls the sort of people that they're actually dealing with.

I know, at the end of the day, we're all human; the desire to extend sympathy and understanding towards other humans is strong. However, when you look at the crimes of Ted Bundy or Ian Brady, it's clear that they didn't extend sympathy towards their victims.

So why would you give them yours?