Grasping Serial Killers

Introduction

Monsters are engulfed in our society. They look through the cracks and crevices and find their way into our thoughts, fears, and realities. This chapter is inspired by Jeffery Jerome Cohen’s first thesis, The Monster’s Body Is a Cultural Body, which establishes that monsters are hidden and seen in our society. A monster only exists if its roots are from the individual in some way: through thoughts, visuals, or other ways.

Throughout this chapter, I have utilized three different styles of writing to convey my message of Cohen’s first monster thesis. This is done through the characterization of serial killers from their recent past to modern representations.

My Pitch

What’s scarier than knowing your own life is in danger? Most individuals would probably say nothing. This is what makes horror movies as nerve-racking as they are when you put yourself in a life-threatening situation. This will build irrational emotions such as fear and anxiety. An issue in modern day America regarding safety is that individuals gain more information from scary movies, stories, and horror in the media rather than opposing information which provides reassurance. Surely you, or someone you know, has thought about how much your life has been in contingency instead of how safe you are. For example, when looking for places to live, everyone will list the harms before benefits about the surrounding city. Addressing serial killers in this section, I am more supportive of showing you how our society is combating mass murdering rather than assuming a psychopath could hunt you down with knives at any given moment. In the late 20th century, serial killers were going rampant and have been less active ever since. This is all due to an increase in surveillance and first responder awareness in the past 20 years. When reading this chapter, I will first address the likelihood of you encountering a serial killer with a depiction of what would happen to that killer; Then I will conclude with a project I created in a kid-friendly way describing how far society has come in protecting you from any life-threatening situations similar to murder.

Short Form Media

Many killers won’t ever get the chance to go on sprees as information spreads fast and actions are taken even faster. Over the past few years, there has been very little serial killers in The United States. In fact, the odds that you every walk past one are slim to none. This is because they’re already in captive, contemplating their decisions, or just the fact that there are so few out there. The time to catch a rampant killer ranges from a few days to a few months. Comparing this to the golden ages where killings stretched for years on end, this is a massive improvement. We can thank the surveillance and first responders for this one.

The Modern-day Solution

The modern-day solution involves surveillance and first responders taking everything seriously. By doing so, we may see cases of murders in the news; however, these cases are everything that’s happening. Everything you hear nowadays is everything that’s happening. Every murder is patrolled and everything is done to keep the public safe. Cake pops were chosen to appeal to a variety of audiences through the images of a crime scene. This also eliminates the use of potential gory substances.

Descriptions of characters

The murderer and officer. This cake pop has a dent at the back of it that one cannot see. This represents the flaws we cannot see in those who have bad intentions. The first responders are the brave ones who volunteer themselves in communities to secure the public from threats.

Three swat men. They symbolize the strength that the government forces have in fighting killers. There cake pop sizes are slightly bigger to represent the authority they have. These men are wearing protective gear and body cameras to protect themselves and the public from any threats. They are armed and ready to protect.

Swat truck. This feature takes up two cake pops which represents its size and importance. The swat truck is ready to mobilize and serves to protect individuals from harm’s way.

Two security cameras. These cameras are pointing towards the suspect and the officer arresting him. They are in the background yet play a crucial role in society. They keep tabs and reassurance that everything will watched and consequences will be handed out to those who break the rules.

Three police officers. These officers are spread out and on patrol for the crime scene. Just like real life, they are spread around throughout the communities to secure the area from crime. In this case, the cake pops are smaller than the others to show their agility and response time.

Two smashed cake pops. This is the crime scene. This illustrates a kid-friendly way to show that two individuals were just murdered by the suspect being arrested.

Two shocked bystanders. These bystanders represent being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The lady was out of surveillance range and could’ve been taken without notice. Meanwhile, the man was almost caught by being with the wrong people. These demonstrate to be careful of one’s surroundings while showing how first responders and security will help.