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.

I don’t think this is always true. There’s a big market for shows like Women Who Kill and people are very interested in the likes of Aileen Wuornos and Beverley Allitt. In cases of couples who kill there is often more interest in the woman - I would imagine more people know the name Karla Homolka than know the name Paul Bernardo despite them killing together. Perpetrators are certainly not always male and most serial killers don’t see themselves as romantically linked to their victims.

I have an interest in crime in general from a psychological perspective. I have a degree in psychology so that probably isn’t particularly unusual. I also have more interest in women’s crimes as they’re less common and crime tends to be researched from a male perspective. Women’s motives tend to be different and I’ve worked in female forensic services so this is more of an interest to me.

I struggled with this one, and couldn’t look away as needed to read the subtitles!

The Fall was also way too gratuitous on that side.

For some odd reason, while I agree as far as modern day crimes are concerned, I find accounts of historic crimes fascinating.

I was deeply invested in the NXIVM case. Some situations are just so puzzling, one wants to understand the human nature involved. I don't think it is "entertainment", but an obsessive interest perhaps, in those discussing cases - particularly those without resolution.

Being aware of danger keeps any being alive. In humans,we've turned this natural phenomenon into entertainment. It's not weird, it's not gross, it's survival. It's also overwhelmingly a female interest, as women are more likely to be victims of the sort of crimes sensationalised by true crime.

I wouldn't describe is as 'enjoyment' but I find it interesting from the aspect of solving a crime and looking at the psychological profile behind the murderer.

I find American true crime far way to Graphic and sensalist in ther way of depicting tragic victims bodies of true crimes .
They linger on and reveal far too much of the victim broken /damaged bodies,
I wish they didn't do that style of camera, filming editing,

I am not intrigued so much by historic crimes or unsolved ones for strange reason

I prefer watching true crimes genre from 1960s era upwards ...

I think you have demonstrated exactly what I mean by "people who know nothing but feel they have the authority to slag of members of her family anyway.

You are not in a position to state her parents faked a kidnap. YOu know nothing. You have simply watched some entertainment based on this poor child losing her life, and have decided you are an expert now

How would you feel if this was your child dead, and people saying this about you on the internet, because they have watched a "documentary" and have appointed themselves an "expert"

You are not in a position to state her parents faked a kidnap.

Well.... after over a year of examining the evidence and hearing expert testimony the Grand Jury convened to determine if there was anyone who could be charged did indict her parents, and that meant that one or both of them did stage a kidnapping. The Boulder police department believed that one or both of the parents staged a kidnapping. It is not an unreasonable statement, therefore.

It's not for me either, though I'm also not someone who watches much fictional crime drama.

As long as it is done with sensitivity for those bereaved or otherwise affected by a crime.

Ew.

I also question the trite things people say about victims, e.g. 'She didn't deserve this; she was so beautiful!' Ugly women don't deserve to be murdered either.

Before all the choices on the TV & Internet

There used to be crime genre books & magazines

Going back in history people were punished harshly for simple crimes like stealing food & were imprisoned or deported

Some people were innocent & still punished for crimes

Social history

I also question the trite things people say about victims, e.g. 'She didn't deserve this; she was so beautiful!' Ugly women don't deserve to be murdered either.

Very true

'She was so beautiful, popular, the kindest person, bubbly, loved life, her smile lit up the room, she wanted to study law' and on and on

Sometimes I wish true crime commentary would just tone it town a bit. It makes it sound like those things give your life more meaning. It's ok to just be a normal person.

You can be sensitive and respectful without all this embellishment.

Rarely do you hear 'she was a bit depressed, didn't have many friends and things weren't going well in life'. Maybe those people just don't make the documentaries, who knows

I think it's the why did they do it? Could it happen to me? What would stop it happening? Would would I do in that scenario? How do I spot someone capable of that? Etc etc.

Some people look normal on the outside

But they are "monsters" on the inside

Some people living double or multiple lives

It's how they get away with things for many years

it is a very unreasonable statement, from people who dont know anything about the poor child's death, except what they have learnt from watching "documentaries" for entertainment

You’re being very naive if you think people shouldn’t be interested in crimes of this nature, OP.

OK - you find it distasteful. That’s more than fine, you absolutely shouldn’t expose yourself to anything you find uninteresting and/or uncomfortable.

But other people do find it interesting and intriguing and want to know more. It’s human nature (not all humans - some) to be curious about all sorts of different things.

And as people know more, they will form opinions, which they will share. You can say that’s ‘unreasonable’, and it’s fine for you to think this. But it’s a free world, so unfortunately it’s not illegal for people to do this.

I guess you will just have to find a way to come to terms with this. Because, I mean, what’s the alternative? You can berate away and tell people you’re disappointed in them, but it’s not going to change anything.

Perhaps the OP hopes that as ‘human nature’ has moved on from witchburnings and public executions, using it as excuse for normalising a grubby, prurient tabloid-y interest in suffering and death is pretty weak?

I don't enjoy them in a fun way but I watch a lot of them. I'm a woman and there's something about watching true crime, mostly against women, from my safe place.. Like I'm getting tips to protect myself and be more self aware. I have so much empathy for them and their families and find myself crying for them. I like to see the police methods and how the courts work.
Lots of my friends are the same. It's not fun, it's interesting to watch. Makes you appreciate life while we have it.

Clearly she does - you won’t get disagreement from me on that.

Doesn’t negate the fact the people find the topic, and the individual cases, highly interesting, and yes, will form opinions and discuss them.

Human nature hasn't changed. That's why it's called human nature.

In fact, the answer to the OP’s question, as posed in the thread title, isn’t necessarily that people find the topic entertaining per se, although I’m sure some people do.

They find it interesting.

Which is different. And not really explainable, in as much as I don’t find, I dunno, off the top of my head - Formula 1 - either entertaining or interesting. I just have to accept that other people do, and so I leave them to it.

Or, on a more ‘distasteful’ note - I don’t understand the mentality behind war, but plenty of men seem to see something appealing in it, and after the devastation it has wrought throughout human history, men still engage in, and even willing sign up, for it. Downright weird if you ask me, but 🤷🏻‍♀️

And again, it’s not the gory details that many people are interested in, it’s the process, the investigation, the piecing together of facts to form a picture, and then hopefully - someone brought to justice.

Again, God forbid, but if I disappear one day without a trace, or am brutally murdered, I hope people talk about it.