Killing time (and other things)
I've been listening obsessively for the past couple of weeks to guy named Sufjan Stevens. This guy is a 30 something indie singer/songwriter from Michigan who decided to embark on this preposterously huge project; to make an album about each of the 50 states in the grand old US of A.
He's finished two of them, being Michigan and now lately Illinois. Both are luminously great. However, I was not going to discuss their musical merits this time (although I probably will at some point). On "Illinoise", his latest, about the state of Illinois, there is a terrific song called "John Wayne Gacy Jr.", about the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Inspired by this song, I went on a research spree about serial killers.
During my research, I was sort of dumbfounded to know just how many of them are the sons of prostitutes. At just a quick glance I get:
Charles Manson
Martin James Kipp
Henry Lee Lucas
Pedro Lopes
Jack Unterweger
David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)
and that without even trying.
Now, I can understand the logic behind killing prostitutes if you are a serial killer. They are easy to pick up on the street, they are less likely to be missed or reported to the police, etc. But what is that snaps in your head if you're the son of one?
"Momma slep wit a bunch 'o people when I was a chile fo' money, now I is crazeah, and gots to go kill me a bunch 'o folks"
And why for God's sake are they (nearly) always white?
Is this a sign of white inferiority complex?
Presumably, with african americans being generally poorer and statistically more of them turn to prostitution, there should be loads of black sons of prostitutes. Why the hell don't they turn to serial killing? They opt instead to turn their energies towards something a lot more constructive, like selling drugs and pimping out teenagers (I kid, I kid!). Maybe they are more comfortable with their mothers' occupation, or maybe it's a sign of cultural difference in acceptance. Maybe the white psyche is more fragile and/or needs less incentive to turn sociopathic. I don't claim to have the answer, but the question excites me.
Excites me enough to make me go wanna go find another victim, even though the cellar is nearly full. I can always buy another freezer.
He's finished two of them, being Michigan and now lately Illinois. Both are luminously great. However, I was not going to discuss their musical merits this time (although I probably will at some point). On "Illinoise", his latest, about the state of Illinois, there is a terrific song called "John Wayne Gacy Jr.", about the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Inspired by this song, I went on a research spree about serial killers.
During my research, I was sort of dumbfounded to know just how many of them are the sons of prostitutes. At just a quick glance I get:
Charles Manson
Martin James Kipp
Henry Lee Lucas
Pedro Lopes
Jack Unterweger
David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)
and that without even trying.
Now, I can understand the logic behind killing prostitutes if you are a serial killer. They are easy to pick up on the street, they are less likely to be missed or reported to the police, etc. But what is that snaps in your head if you're the son of one?
"Momma slep wit a bunch 'o people when I was a chile fo' money, now I is crazeah, and gots to go kill me a bunch 'o folks"
And why for God's sake are they (nearly) always white?
Is this a sign of white inferiority complex?
Presumably, with african americans being generally poorer and statistically more of them turn to prostitution, there should be loads of black sons of prostitutes. Why the hell don't they turn to serial killing? They opt instead to turn their energies towards something a lot more constructive, like selling drugs and pimping out teenagers (I kid, I kid!). Maybe they are more comfortable with their mothers' occupation, or maybe it's a sign of cultural difference in acceptance. Maybe the white psyche is more fragile and/or needs less incentive to turn sociopathic. I don't claim to have the answer, but the question excites me.
Excites me enough to make me go wanna go find another victim, even though the cellar is nearly full. I can always buy another freezer.
posted by Völundur at 3:27 am
2 Comments:
I think the main reasons behind the predominantly white population of the serial killing community is the pressure.
Having been that we are the 'superior-race' we are put into the position of being the target of hate and other prejudice.
White culture is dominated by the fact that you must succeed and be generally successful. We are so trapped in a cliched cultural identity that we feel constant pressure since the day we are born.
I'd not say that we are in any way special, but we are the ones who created aristocracy and its trappings. The Asians did so also, and you'll probably discover a few broken nuggets there.
Maybe I am just rambling or something...
You're pretty much thinking the same things I am. As I said in the blog, my belief is that is has to do more with cultural acceptance than anything. Whites put themselves on a higher pedestal, and the higher you are, the harder you fall. I guess (this may be ignorance or even rasist on my part) that if you are black, it's somehow more "typical" to be the son of a prostitute, and perhaps not as shameful. However, that's just conjecture on my part.
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