Paranoia Agent

[Rocketboy1313]

This bizarre idea that serial killers are careful, methodical masterminds is a complete modern fiction. It is rarely the case.

I have seen this too in my own causal research of the topic. I kind of wonder where the idea of brilliant murderer comes from.

Was it just the yellow journalism of Jack the Ripper that kicked it off? Painting him as some mastermind instead of just a ghoul who pulled apart a few helpless people.

I should also point out that the intelligence thing is also missing from the VAST majority of criminals. The reason some criminals become kings of empires is that they are the few who have the modicum of training or intelligence that puts them ahead of the pack, which almost entirely consists of people who could not make a living doing anything else and just lacked a sense of right or wrong. If they were unwilling to break the law most crooks wouldn't be able to get a job more complex than washing dishes.

[ScreamingDoom]

This bizarre idea that serial killers are careful, methodical masterminds is a complete modern fiction. It is rarely the case.

I have seen this too in my own causal research of the topic. I kind of wonder where the idea of brilliant murderer comes from.

Was it just the yellow journalism of Jack the Ripper that kicked it off? Painting him as some mastermind instead of just a ghoul who pulled apart a few helpless people.

That's a good question, really. My gut feeling is that it didn't start with Red Jack, though; serial killers didn't really have the mystique we associate with them today until much later. If I had to speculate, I'd think it probably started in the late 1960s or 1970s, since there was a spate of serial killers during that time that got a lot of press.

Charles Manson, the Zodiac Killer, the Hillside Stranglers, Son of Sam... all of them were during that period.

Manson was painted in the press (by the other murders' lawyers) as some kind of Svengali mastermind, easily twisting the minds of this poor, unfortunate children to his eeeeevil ways. Berkowitz was depicted much the same (at least during the murder spree itself). I'm not sure about the Zodiac Killer or the Hillside Stranglers, but considering how much yellow journalism was going on at time, I'd imagine it was similar.

[Independent George]

This bizarre idea that serial killers are careful, methodical masterminds is a complete modern fiction. It is rarely the case.

I have seen this too in my own causal research of the topic. I kind of wonder where the idea of brilliant murderer comes from.

I think it comes from the same place as the "professional" mafia assassin, or the JFK conspiracy theories - it's too hard to accept that any random person can be that dangerous, or act with such impunity.

When it comes right down to it, it's just not that hard to murder someone and get away with it - especially when you have no motive. You don't need special skills or knowledge - you just have to be reasonably careful, and be willing to do it.

The Unabomber actually was brilliant, but that had nothing to do with his evading capture; he just happened to live out in the middle of nowhere and killed people from a distance.

[MithrandirOlorin]

Most Criminals who eventually get caught may be dumb. But the sociopaths I'm far more concerned about live on Wallstreet and in Washington.

[Nevix]

Most Criminals who eventually get caught may be dumb. But the sociopaths I'm far more concerned about live on Wallstreet and in Washington.

Sociopath... greedy... "Career Bureaucrat"...

Yeah. There's a problem there, and my recommendation is fire anyone who's been there more than 10 years. Period.

[FakeGeekGirl]

I think it comes from the same place as the "professional" mafia assassin, or the JFK conspiracy theories - it's too hard to accept that any random person can be that dangerous, or act with such impunity.

I think that hits the nail on the head. It's sort of like conspiracy theories - it's easier to believe in a large, overwhelming evil than the fact crappy things just happen sometimes, or that there are bad people out there who do evil things for no real reason.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

I'm a bit confused as to how, if this guy can barely swing a mop without killing a circuit breaker, how is he such a successful and efficient murderer?

Believe it or not, but one does not need to be particularly bright or talented to be a serial killer. Most serial killers are complete fuckups in some way.

Gary Ridgway was tested with an I.Q. of 82 and he is one of the most prolific serial killers ever. He wasn't careful about his murders, either in the execution or in the cover up; he returned to the place where he buried them over and over again to have sex with the corpses.

Carl Panzram was a life-long fuckup, constantly in prison. He was a stupid criminal, constantly caught. He still had an impressive body count literally around the world.

John Wayne Gacy buried the bodies of his victims in his own house. And a lot of his victims were young employees of his own construction business. These are not smart decisions.

Even the serial killers who are intelligent and careful at first, tend to reach a point where they are not. Ted Bundy, for instance, said that the first time you plan everything down in exacting detail. The tenth time? You forget where you put the fucking rope.

H. H. Holmes built an entire murder hotel, complete with a underground torture chamber and crematorium. He was eventually caught because of an unrelated insurance scam and the flatly stupid decisions he made regarding it.

This bizarre idea that serial killers are careful, methodical masterminds is a complete modern fiction. It is rarely the case.

That is simultaneously reassuring and distressing somehow.

[Rocketboy1313]

This somewhat reminds me of "The Banality of Evil"?
It is not so much that evil is readily identifiable, nor does it automatically correlate with particular traits or mentalities.
Evil can be common, typical, it can be your job.
Stupid people can be evil, but the idea of that makes us all sad. Not necessarily that breaking the social contract can be done by anyone, but that they can get away with it devoid of special skills or gifts. We want it to be more difficult for the wretched to victimize the innocent.

It is just not that hard to be a bad guy.

[TGLS]

Just kicking things around about Saruta as a killer

I really had to empathize with Saruta in the last episode. Everyone is tearing into Saruta, especially the other Production Manager (Oda) (no, he's not the producer; the real producer shows up at the beginning then has an accident half way through the episode). The staff is verbally and physical abusive to Saruta. Note that not all of the staff is killed, some just leave, or have accidents. Presumably, some of the accidents could be assaults by Saruta. I'll just take apart the 4 attacks we are sure of:

Screenwriter: Saruta slips in, gives him a slug, slips out. Of course, we aren't sure that the screenwriter in the previous episode is the same one. Also, it makes a different kind of sense that the housewife in the previous episode either attacked her husband to make up a story, or her exclusion summoned Lil' Slugger.

Kanie: So Saruta goes over to Kanie's, kills her, and then just leaves her stuff there so he can look inept later? Then when he goes back, he still feels the need to thank her for her work? Saruta doesn't have some kind of split personality; he's just sleepy. Then later in the car he claims she looked like she was sleeping. You think of all things he wouldn't be claiming that alone in the car.

Director of Photography: I still don't understand how Saruta could kill him without Oda noticing. It would kind of make a lot of noise. How did Oda even know episode was done? Did Oda replace Saruta with Lil' Slugger as his assistant? Explains why he would be so nonplussed with his the Director of Photography's death.

Oda: Saruta killed Oda; no argument here. He was the one who always seemed to hate him the most too, seemingly starting with when Saruta proved he was a liar. The "I will have the last laugh" remark seems to indicate that Saruta wanted to make Oda look bad (or perhaps prove he wasn't useless) by delivering the tape.

If Saruta isn't a serial killer, I suppose Lil' Slugger is chasing him because of the stress of probably going to be caught and have his life destroyed for a totally petty act. If he were, then I figure he would be more calm (or at least not cornered), and thus no Lil' Slugger. Of course, if Lil' Slugger was just chasing him because of the show, it seems to make Saruta look less like a serial killer.

[Wargriffin]

I think it comes from the same place as the "professional" mafia assassin, or the JFK conspiracy theories - it's too hard to accept that any random person can be that dangerous, or act with such impunity.

I think that hits the nail on the head. It's sort of like conspiracy theories - it's easier to believe in a large, overwhelming evil than the fact crappy things just happen sometimes, or that there are bad people out there who do evil things for no real reason.

Ironically if the world ever saw a Villain like we'd imagine one would be... well lets just say Europe during the plague would be a baseline

"You'd be amazed just how... empty it was left"