Post by matthewgray on Nov 1, 2014 0:01:45 GMT
Our nation has become a surprisingly safe place for people to be. Despite the continual prevalence of crime, America has developed (along with most other more-developed countries) in such a way that we do not experience much, if any, violence in our daily lives. This fact may be the root of our fascination with crime-centered media, and the "true crime" genre in particular -- the lack of "excitement" and "danger" in our normal lives leads many of us seeking to compensate for this in our choice of media. True crime gives people this feeling of adrenaline by providing them with something out of the ordinary that catches their attention and fascinates them to no end, as exemplified in TV shows such as Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS, Breaking Bad, and The Wire (none of which are based completely in reality). One of the primary reasons for this fascination with crime-centered media is that many perceive a sense of something greater than themselves -- a larger battle between good and evil that so many long to be a part of.
As far as the true aspect of true crime goes, many people find that when the story being told is nonfiction or at least based in reality, it provides a much more relatable aspect because of the knowledge that the events have actually transpired in our world. This fact provides a complex insight into deeper motives for the consumption of true crime media -- it allows people to analyze the relatability of the events to their own lives, and gives new insight into the nature of our society and humans in general. Through true crime people can examine the motives of criminals, the nature of the crime, and the reaction by the public, all of which allow for an incredibly interesting understanding of how people think and what we find interest in.
For example, In Cold Blood gives us deep insight into the nature of the conscience and society, and poses several thought-provoking questions. For one, were Dick and Perry always so sociopathic, or have the events of their lives transformed them to be this way? Also, why do the inhabitants of Holcomb become so paranoid following the murders, since the objective probability of the reoccurence of the events is so low? These are questions that cannot be easily answered, but the nature of the true crime genre allows for the analyzation of ideas and potential corroboration of hypotheses regarding them, which in turn allows us to better understand the nature of our society and the people that populate it.
As far as the true aspect of true crime goes, many people find that when the story being told is nonfiction or at least based in reality, it provides a much more relatable aspect because of the knowledge that the events have actually transpired in our world. This fact provides a complex insight into deeper motives for the consumption of true crime media -- it allows people to analyze the relatability of the events to their own lives, and gives new insight into the nature of our society and humans in general. Through true crime people can examine the motives of criminals, the nature of the crime, and the reaction by the public, all of which allow for an incredibly interesting understanding of how people think and what we find interest in.
For example, In Cold Blood gives us deep insight into the nature of the conscience and society, and poses several thought-provoking questions. For one, were Dick and Perry always so sociopathic, or have the events of their lives transformed them to be this way? Also, why do the inhabitants of Holcomb become so paranoid following the murders, since the objective probability of the reoccurence of the events is so low? These are questions that cannot be easily answered, but the nature of the true crime genre allows for the analyzation of ideas and potential corroboration of hypotheses regarding them, which in turn allows us to better understand the nature of our society and the people that populate it.