to not understand the "entertainment value" of true crime

[Nimbostratus100]

I understand the enjoyment of murder mysteries, excitement, interesting characters, mystery aspect etc.

I dont understand the "enjoyment" of "true crime" where real people have suffered and died and been bereaved. The thread about Jonbenet for example, why are people enjoying "documentaries" and feeling they can speak authoritvly about the death a poor little girl, thousands of miles away about which they in reality know nothing, but feel like they can slag of members of her family anyway?

Ive just gone onto itv player to find something to while away a few hours, and find myself being offer a whole plethera of "true crime" stuff. No thanks, what on earth is fun or relaxing being a spectator to other people's grief, pain and misery?

I just dont understand what sort of person enjoys that. I hope you will enjoy it just as much if you are ever the subject of one of these dramas.

For me it's the forensics aspects and the psychology of the human mind

Yes, I do like the ones that explain the forensics.

A while ago I watched a very interesting documentary about the first murder investigation to successfully use DNA testing, in Leicester I believe.

I'm currently working my way through episodes of an American series about cold cases, and there have been a few so far which have been solved due to the advances in DNA technology. Some families have been waiting decades for the murders to be solved!

For me too it is about the forensics behind it, especially cold cases where developments in forensics has brought the killer to justice many years later.

Conversely I also find the wrongly convicted ones also interesting, especially in America. There is an organisation called The Innocence Project, many of those wrongly convicted are from BAME communities.

I'm not a big true crime fan what I do like is stuff on disasters or cults which is not dissimilar. But I chose carefully and listen to things which are non exploitative and seek to shed light on what happened. I've listened to a few true crime podcasts where they have covered wrong doings by authorities etc.

But yeah the stuff which is very gory and almost revels in the things that happened are not ok.

I watch true crime. For me, it depends on how it's told.

I recently found Emma Kenny's YouTube channel. I love the way she presents the cases. It's definitely not entertainment and she's very respectful and many of them are emotional to listen to. You can tell she does it for the 'right' reasons and not to capitalise. She's worked in related areas for years.

Some of the other true crime channels just irritate me. It's clear they want a quick buck and are jumping on the true crime bandwagon.

i find British crime stories really interesting and how so many are actually linked eg the Brinks Mat robbery is linked in a way to the murder of Daniel Morgan which in turn is linked to the NoTW hacking and to the murder of Stephen Lawrence

perhaps more morbidly I’m intrigued to find a link between so many notorious killers. West, Brady, Black, Sinclair, Tobin all lived or had links to the central belt in the 60s; did their paths ever cross?

I find them interesting but I have stopped watching them in the last few years as they make my anxiety worse and I do think it must be horrendous for the families and possible feed the egos of the psychopaths that commit these terrible crimes.

I’ve learnt to be careful what I watch / read about when I’m home alone. I ended up down a bit of a rabbit hole reading about Robert Napper - Rachel Nikkels murderer- and how he used to spy on women in their homes before he attacked them and for the longest time I just used to want to keep my curtains shut incase I suddenly saw someone staring back at me. Dennis Raider (BTK) crimes also had a similar effect on me. But I think some of that also comes from being stalked as a young woman and I guess that feeling of someone watching you, being in your personal space etc never quite leaves you. Other stuff - even things just as horrible in other ways - never affects me in the same way.

I’m a huge true crime fan for two reasons. One, I need something I don’t have to look at when I crochet. Two, I ‘watch’ it to try and learn what to do or not do to stay safe.

If the families are part of it then they want the story told. Sometimes it's so it doesnt happen to another person and they promote their charity or raise important issues.

You can pretend ot doesnt exist but whether you hear about it or not it does happen.

I like true crime, mainly I like to see how they work out the culprit & sometimes see the mistakes they make & how they rectify them.

I also crochet and totally understand what you mean!

agree and the ones where they show you how the forensics and evidence caught the perpetrator, I find true crime so interesting and always in complete admiration of the investigators making sure justice is done

Boy, are you reading the wrong fiction.

It's actually "Stay sexy and don't get murdered"

It's really interesting to learn a bit about what evils people can do and also get an insight to why. If I could go back I would do a degree in criminology and that would be my career.

Some stories van be mind boggling with "how did police/doctors/family" miss x and y. Some if them show clearly why and it's actually good it's getting out there.

Even the Dahmer one showed many people who wouldn't normally know how shite the police was to certain people AND got reinstated after, paid AND went onto have good careers. At least one. These things still happen. Lots of peope have no idea.

Plus yes, morbid curiosity. People were fascinated by morbid things since dawn of time.

True crime is my favourite thing to watch.
I also like stuff about disasters, like Air Crash Investigations and I Shouldn't Have Survived. I can't really explain it, it's just fascinating 💁

I love it! Guess that makes me a weirdo.

I like true everything ( would rather read an autobiography than a novel) and crime is pretty interesting

It's a genre so I can't be the only one

I am afraid I love it. Not so much the gory Dahmer type stuff but I love the ones with legal skullduggery or science. Am listening to one called Bear Brook with an absolutely amazing legal twist. ( won't spoil it.)

I am totally bored by romance and romantic films. Also action movies, superhero movies, movies with too much CGI...

The thread about Jonbenet for example, why are people enjoying "documentaries" and feeling they can speak authoritvly about the death a poor little girl, thousands of miles away about which they in reality know nothing, but feel like they can slag of members of her family anyway?

Because a little girl died and her killer was never brought to justice? It’s human nature to want justice for victims.

Plus her parents clearly faked her kidnapping, shame that you are more concerned about their feelings rather than the victim.

I recently watched an entire trial video on Court TV. It was absolutely fascinating.

For example, witness called because they found a Target bay in a bin.
Someone from Target called to explain how their click and collect system works and what all of the details on the label mean.
Someone from Snapchat called to talk through the location data and whether the defendants phone was in target.

I agree. I also really hate those series about serial killers. They aren’t celebrities, they have murdered multiple people, people who nobody can ever name but they can always name the murderer. It disgusts me.

I liked trued crime and had morbid curiosity until i went through experiences that showed me first hand what actual fear and horror is. Now i never want to engage with anything that makes my brain touch on those emotions ever again. I know i am not alone in that

Everyone I know enjoys 24hours in police custody! Everyone!