"But really, what is so dark and opaque about men who kill in a culture that tells them they are entitled to violence?" Hoo boy. All of this. Keep it coming. Assuming you saw Wesley Morris' trash piece in the times, that seems like the latter kind of trash, interested in both!
I had not! Reading now! Thanks for sharing! "Her verdict was that the satisfaction trash offers is what Americans really want from the movies. What I sensed as a kid and what I’ve learned as an adult is that it’s not just that trash is what we want; it’s that it’s who we are." Oh wow, yes.
I watched the Netflix version of Dahmer and was questioning my decision to do so the entire time and... kept watching. I think I'm embarrassed that I watched it and feel like it shouldn't have been made. And yet I didn't stop. Such a strange reaction. I did notice that I was nervous about how the series gave you insight, understanding, and compassion for Dahmer. That's such a tough thing. On one hand we shouldn't think of people who do bad things as monsters with no redeeming qualities, but also feeling compassion for that level of depravity doesn't feel right either. I worried too that it made cannibalism/serial killing more "normal" to me as I watched or something. I heard about the family members reaction to it and I think they are right. I'm not sure how to think about freedom of speech when I also think that series should have not been allowed to be made. Or maybe I'd feel better if the proceeds went to a good cause or to the families. Ugh I don't know where to draw the line. Why does it scramble my brain so much?!
I feel you. Narrative tension like that is hard to pull away from even when it feels awful! To be clear, I felt zero compassion for Dahmer but I have felt other efforts to elicit himpathy (in other films/shows) work on me and I HATE that. I think the thing is that masculinity is inherently destructive, not just for women but for men. Mix that up with other complex psychology and the results are not good. But in terms of representation, it both is and isn’t complicated, right? For me, the monster killer archetype is a failure because it makes it seem as though sexual and homicidal violence by white men just happens, in a psychological void in the mind or in the family unit, never something caused by societal forces. It’s also just not a creative or interesting or truthful character in that sense (on top of being triggering and fetishizing violence etc etc).
I think my core issue with shows like Dahmer is that enshrinement in pop culture somehow defangs the horrors...as evidenced by the number of Dahmer Halloween costumes I’ve seen on IG and TikTok ON SMALL KIDS. Elementary school kids. Middle school kids the same age as Dahmer’s victims (one was 14).
"But really, what is so dark and opaque about men who kill in a culture that tells them they are entitled to violence?" Hoo boy. All of this. Keep it coming. Assuming you saw Wesley Morris' trash piece in the times, that seems like the latter kind of trash, interested in both!
I had not! Reading now! Thanks for sharing! "Her verdict was that the satisfaction trash offers is what Americans really want from the movies. What I sensed as a kid and what I’ve learned as an adult is that it’s not just that trash is what we want; it’s that it’s who we are." Oh wow, yes.
amen
You aren’t alone- I refused to watch Dahmer, because the family of one of his victims asked us not to.
https://www.indiewire.com/2022/09/jeffrey-dahmer-victims-families-slam-netflix-series-1234766373/
I watched the Netflix version of Dahmer and was questioning my decision to do so the entire time and... kept watching. I think I'm embarrassed that I watched it and feel like it shouldn't have been made. And yet I didn't stop. Such a strange reaction. I did notice that I was nervous about how the series gave you insight, understanding, and compassion for Dahmer. That's such a tough thing. On one hand we shouldn't think of people who do bad things as monsters with no redeeming qualities, but also feeling compassion for that level of depravity doesn't feel right either. I worried too that it made cannibalism/serial killing more "normal" to me as I watched or something. I heard about the family members reaction to it and I think they are right. I'm not sure how to think about freedom of speech when I also think that series should have not been allowed to be made. Or maybe I'd feel better if the proceeds went to a good cause or to the families. Ugh I don't know where to draw the line. Why does it scramble my brain so much?!
I feel you. Narrative tension like that is hard to pull away from even when it feels awful! To be clear, I felt zero compassion for Dahmer but I have felt other efforts to elicit himpathy (in other films/shows) work on me and I HATE that. I think the thing is that masculinity is inherently destructive, not just for women but for men. Mix that up with other complex psychology and the results are not good. But in terms of representation, it both is and isn’t complicated, right? For me, the monster killer archetype is a failure because it makes it seem as though sexual and homicidal violence by white men just happens, in a psychological void in the mind or in the family unit, never something caused by societal forces. It’s also just not a creative or interesting or truthful character in that sense (on top of being triggering and fetishizing violence etc etc).
On a related note, this piece is interesting from the perspective of writers: https://lithub.com/anxiety-and-irresponsibility-what-is-to-be-done-about-literary-moralism/
Maggie Nelson’s book Art of Cruelty also feels relevant here…
I think my core issue with shows like Dahmer is that enshrinement in pop culture somehow defangs the horrors...as evidenced by the number of Dahmer Halloween costumes I’ve seen on IG and TikTok ON SMALL KIDS. Elementary school kids. Middle school kids the same age as Dahmer’s victims (one was 14).
TOTALLY.