Insider
Society
defend ourselves.
Is it our fear of
crime that makes
us addicted to it?
The first thing
that comes to my
mind when I think
of true crime and
it’s connotations
is the idea of
‘morbid curiosity’;
the crimes are so
horrendous that
we can’t help but
want to know
more, even
though our con-
science is telling
us that we
shouldn’t be, and
we won’t like
what we hear.
Psychologists
compare this with
natural disasters,
and how we can’t
look away when
we see something
terrible happening
because it is so
shocking.
Another theory
I’ve researched is
that we enjoy
true crime be-
cause it makes us
feel grateful for
our (in compari-
son) very une-
ventful lives. Alt-
hough we feel ex-
treme sympathy
for the victims,
we can’t help but
feel relieved that
this isn’t our
nightmare. This
links to the con-
cept that, as hu-
mans, we know we
are capable of evil
things, and by
watching documen-
taries on serial kill-
ers like Ted Bundy,
we get to explore
these impulses in a
safe and controlled
way, from the com-
fort of our sofas.
However, some
people take moral
issues with these
documentaries and
adaptations on true
crime, as they be-
lieve that they’re
giving unnecessary
publicity and atten-
tion to serial killers
that should be
shunned from soci-
ety. An example of
this is the film
‘Extremely wicked,
shockingly evil
and vile’ which
was based on
Ted Bundy’s
life and
crimes, played
by Zac Efron.
This decision
was criticised
as it was said
to sexualise
Ted Bundy and
make light of
his crimes,
giving him the
profile-raising
attention he
desired when
he was alive.
In conclusion,
whether you
love or hate
true crime,
there is no
denying how
The College magazine online: sixthformmag.blogspot.co.uk
popular it has
become, and
what an insight
it gives us into
a dark part of
society. True
crime seems to
connect with us
on an instinctu-
al level, so I be-
lieve this craze
could last quite
some time.