• Warl0k3@lemmy.worldEnglish
    32·
    11 days ago

    I used to be pretty neutral about it -people are obsessed with all kinds of weird shit, why is this any different- but then my cousin did some truly horrifying national news making shit (and then in an unrelated incident, another family member was murdered incredibly publicly…) and… oh boy. The truecrime community is full of some of the truly most self-absorbed, main character syndrome people. A particular favorite was when someone who’d been hounding a family member for details, and who was subsequently blocked for it, dug up their address and wrote them a physical letter asking for details, in pink ink.

    Just. How tone-deaf do you have to be to think that’s at all appropriate? what the fuck?

    I like crime, it’s interesting, but in 99% of the true crime I’m interested in nobody gets injured. Weird how the “truecrime” podcasts never seem to feature, like, elaborate fraud schemes, you have to go to the financial podcasts to find it (and oh boy are they awful in new and exciting ways!)

    • subversive_dev@lemmy.mlEnglish
      4·
      11 days ago

      Have you done the “swindled” podcast? I agree with you that the white collar stuff is more interesting and likely much more impactful in society

    • Gloomy@mander.xyzEnglish
      7·
      10 days ago

      Hello, my name is Gloomy, from barleynews.wtf

      Would you allow us to cite your comment in an upcoming article about the link between consumerism and a new AI driven trend, where an app takes random screenshots of you during your day and posts them to your social media account with AI enhanced captions fully automated?

        • squaresinger@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          10 days ago

          I’ll be cold and dead in my grave before I let AI scrapers cite me as a source.

          Thanks for your consent!

  • HalfSalesman@lemmy.worldEnglish
    28·
    11 days ago

    I feel torn. On one hand, whatever floats your boat.

    One the other, I think my biggest issue is that this stuff makes people more afraid of their fellow human beings because of incidents that make up like 0.0001% of all deaths.

    You’re more likely to die early if you are constantly alone/asocial for a number of causes. Worrying about being murdered and chopped up into pieces by some nutcase is an extremely irrational fear to cultivate. And I know that these shows do that: They do it to me every time I watch/listen to one.

      • HalfSalesman@lemmy.worldEnglish
        20·
        11 days ago

        Yeah, its insensitive to the survivors. That’s definitely another issue, and pestering them for “juicy information” is pretty gross and callous.

        (The dead person doesn’t care though, they’re dead.)

        • irelephant [he/him]@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
          6·
          11 days ago

          Actually, yeah I wouldn’t care if someone covers me stupidly in their podcast, but I’d be upset if they harrased any people I know (well, I wouldn’t because I’m dead).

    • Rose@slrpnk.netEnglish
      9·
      11 days ago

      A lot of people are drawn to true crime because they think it’s educational - learning what not to do, learn about red flags, learn how to keep oneself safe.

      Same reason a lot of people watch aircraft disaster documentaries while they’re afraid of flying. It’s not to get further scared due to the disasters themselves, but to learn what was done about the problems that led to the incidents.

        • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          11 days ago

          Sounds like a slippery slope argument. Faulting victims for not knowing what to look out for has been happening ever since the first bully blamed another person for upsetting them. It’s not new, and I haven’t seen any evidence that these stories have increased such behavior. (Though if you have a source indicating otherwise, I will stand corrected.)

          Consider as well, that access to how the criminal mind works hasn’t always been around. For most of human history, this stuff would not have been studied or understood to the depth that it can be today. With understanding comes empowerment. For those of us who’ve been abused, true crime stories can provide a lot of benefits, from helping us find a better understanding of what we’ve gone through, to increasing the general visibility for and understanding of mental health issues in society at large.

          Not to say there aren’t issues with true crime media. Just that it provides powerful benefits for some people.

      • HalfSalesman@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        11 days ago

        If it were purely for utilitarian safety and educational purposes, that would imply a much smaller footprint of their time spent consuming that information than is typical of those that listen/watch to these podcasts and shows.

        Most people if they want to stay safe/live-long just need to socialize frequently, eat healthy, get enough sleep, and look both ways when crossing the street/drive safely. Because people don’t do those things and they end up dead more often as a result of those things than axe murderers.

      • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        11 days ago

        Yep, I’m an educational fan. The less I understand something, the more I’m drawn to find out more about it. Things like true crime are fascinating because I can’t fathom the minds of the perpetrators. I want to know what drives them and makes them tick.

        I’ve had experiences with psychopaths and narcissists numerous times in my life, mostly before I started to explore this genre. I’ve been victimized and used, and when I learned about the the dark triad, it was highly empowering. I could finally make sense of the people I’ve been around and the events I’ve been through.

        I became more savvy and aware. I also got to start healing from what I’d been through. I came to understand more about the dynamics between victim and perpetrator, as well as what red flags to look out for to minimize chances of being in that situation again.

        Although there is an inherent insensitivity in the concept of “true crime” being a form of entertainment, there’s no denying the educational value that many people derive from it. I can’t be the only victim who’s found empowerment from acquiring a better understanding of the criminal mind.

  • ExLisperAEnglish
    13·
    10 days ago

    Yeah, everything real crime always felt exploitative to me. I get shows about police and prosecutors framing people but the ones that focus on the crime and criminal itself are just playing into this weird American obsession with serial killers. Other then Breivik I can’t name any murderers from Europe. We just lock them up and forget about them. No need to turn them into celebrities.

    • SonOfAntenora@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      10 days ago

      We have a better knowledge of war criminals running away from their doings than serial killer in this region. And i’m serious.

      • ExLisperAEnglish
        2·
        10 days ago

        Never heard of him.

        I know there was a guy in Poland called ‘the Vampire of… someplace’ but I don’t remember his name. There was also a guy called Rurabomber, setting up bombs all over Warsaw. He too was caught and forgotten. I’m sure you can find their names on wikipedia if you’re into those things but they simply don’t exist in popular culture.