week 5

Week 5

A02

Priscilla Lee

            In Darrell Y. Hamamoto’s, “Empire of Death and the Plague of Civic Violence,” he describes murder. He talks about how the phrase, serial murder, came about and how there are different types of murder. There’s mass murder, murder by sniper, race murder, the mass murder elite, etc. While reading the chapter, under the title, marriage material, I found myself really uncomfortable. This section in the reading particularly struck me. It was about the horrors of murder and rape of girls and women. While I personally like thrillers and crime shows like Criminal Minds and Law & Order, knowing that these stories are real and not completely fiction brings me back to reality and realize the true reality of the world. The world is a twisted and cruel place.

            The reading brought to my attention that a killer can come in any form. He/she can be a war veteran, a friend, your neighbor, or your spouse. You cannot judge a book by it’s cover (by appearance). But while killers don’t just become one overnight, it is also due to everything around them or their past. It may not be entirely their fault. There is always a story behind their actions and urges. There will be explanations but while it may not be acceptable in this world, it makes sense in their heads.

Question: How is it possible to classify the “level” of a murderer, whether they are dangerous or more dangerous than the next murderer?

Referenes:

1. Boggs, C. (2013). Masters of War Militarism and Blowback in the Era of American Empire. New York: Taylor and Francis.

2. Dangerous people [digital image]. Retrieved from http://www.caglecartoons.com