What is your theory for why modern society idolizes evil people?

[Jersovic]

Take Ted Bundy for instance. The guy is a well known celebrity with a large fan club, but the innocent, young girls he raped, mutilated, and murdered are all but forgotten.

People still talk about Charles Whitman for climbing into a tower and massacring unarmed pedestrians, but don't even know the names of the men who volunteered to enter the tower and apprehend him.

I cannot even turn my television on without seeing something about Hitler or his regime, or a murder investigation, cold case files etc. It's really depressing to know that you would be more loved, and remembered for going out and shooting 100 kids (Oslo instance) than you would ever be for devoting your life to helping others.

[Nefroz]

I'd say its because of fear, we fear the things these guys do, their atrocities stand out against selfless acts of good because selfless acts of good is whats expected. It's the same reason people are drawn into scary things we like the thrill, or the mystery.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I believe it has to do with them exploring the depravity of their crimes and how can one people be so immoral,cruel and dark to other human beings. Now while I agree too much negativity is portrayed these days but I don't think we worship them. I think it's a matter of we're so interested in the WHY? I'm not that type of person, though I suppose the people that are like that theorize possibly it could be treated and prevent needless death.

I don't know for sure, though Hitler seems to be the poster child for Evil.

[semaphore]

That's not true at all. Segments of the society may idolise them, but society as a whole most certainly does not. Now, people may talk about these criminals, but that's because of their notoriety from neinious crimes. Only a few deranged minds would actually "love" them.

[GotMoxie]

I have dozens of books about serial killers, mass murderers, despots, family annihilators, etc, but I don't worship them, idolize them or love them. I'm just incredibly fascinated in trying to find out what made them the way they are or what made them tick. It's unfathomable to me to do the things that they did and yet, well, they did it without a second thought. In reference to the TV shows and books and moves about serial killers, I don't think that it's a question of being loved there either.

I wouldn't call them celebrities except to anyone but their select groupies, who really do not count as they're usually either young men with flights of fancy to be the next serial killer to make the news or young girls who think that a letter from a serial killer makes for sexy bedtime reading.

[s_bushido]

Society doesn't idolize evil. We try to analyze it in hopes of preventing it in the future. Hitler and his ilk are parts of our history that we just can't ignore.

I'll never understand serial killer fanclubs and the like, but they certainly aren't representative of society as a whole.

Crime shows appeal to our love of mystery and suspense. I don't watch them much anymore because I dislike the trend towards more graphic/disturbing depictions of rape and murder, but we all enjoy a good story. Better to get our entertainment that way than any of the alternatives.

[Lamorak]

Its facination, not love or idolizing.

For most of us killing another person is an unthinkable action unless it was a dire situation such as self defense or protecting a loved one, and because of this we are facinated in how someone who seems on the surface as normal as anyone else would not only kill innocent people but actually get a kick out of it.

[Daelak]

Take Ted Bundy for instance. The guy is a well known celebrity with a large fan club, but the innocent, young girls he raped, mutilated, and murdered are all but forgotten.

People still talk about Charles Whitman for climbing into a tower and massacring unarmed pedestrians, but don't even know the names of the men who volunteered to enter the tower and apprehend him.

I cannot even turn my television on without seeing something about Hitler or his regime, or a murder investigation, cold case files etc. It's really depressing to know that you would be more loved, and remembered for going out and shooting 100 kids (Oslo instance) than you would ever be for devoting your life to helping others.

At least in the USA, we have a societal OCD problem mixed in with idol-worship. We obsessively emulate to the point of the same foods and clothing as people who are clinically determined to be sociopaths-egomaniacs, yet our society reinforces their behaviors by not prosecuting them for mis-deeds and felonies and propping them up on a pedestal as if they are superior and more smarter than the rest of the population, this then is distilled into all our brains through a very effective medium known as social media.

[goobernoob]

Take Ted Bundy for instance. The guy is a well known celebrity with a large fan club, but the innocent, young girls he raped, mutilated, and murdered are all but forgotten.

People still talk about Charles Whitman for climbing into a tower and massacring unarmed pedestrians, but don't even know the names of the men who volunteered to enter the tower and apprehend him.

I cannot even turn my television on without seeing something about Hitler or his regime, or a murder investigation, cold case files etc. It's really depressing to know that you would be more loved, and remembered for going out and shooting 100 kids (Oslo instance) than you would ever be for devoting your life to helping others.

i would say most of it is that we love to hate evil people, sometimes it even exceeds how much we love the people who bring them down.
of corse, when you have 7 billion people on the planet, there will always be a few defective folks who think such acts are worthy of emulation, we just focus on them a lot because they are not normal, and that makes them seem more common then they are.

[Deleted]

Humans evolved to prioritize information that appears to be a threat. That's why negative information thrives in the media. And you should double check the meanining of idolize.

[Lyriok]

Its facination, not love or idolizing.

For most of us killing another person is an unthinkable action unless it was a dire situation such as self defense or protecting a loved one, and because of this we are facinated in how someone who seems on the surface as normal as anyone else would not only kill innocent people but actually get a kick out of it.

This, Along with trying to understand what caused the person to commit the acts they did in an attempt to learn and prevent it from occuring again in time. I personally idolize the police and plan on joining in a few more months.

[Scummer]

Because people love Psychology. I know I do. It's one the most interesting topics I feel a man can be interested in as some of the things you learn can be quite shocking as to why a person may commit such heinous acts.
They aren't being idolized at all. There are documentaries because people are interested in why,

[Powerogue]

they're not famous, they're infamous. That about sums it up.

[Deleted]

I keep wondering the same. Politicians who are responsible for the deaths of thousands or even millions of people through war are regarded as heroes. I think it's a case of massive, collective stockholm syndrome.

[Deleted]

I keep wondering the same. Politicians who are responsible for the deaths of thousands or even millions of people through war are regarded as heroes. I think it's a case of massive, collective stockholm syndrome.

Then again, society is set up in such a way that no one can really do anything to change how most things work. Even peaceful protests are disrupted these days and met with smear campaigns if the people protesting touch on some home truths that the general public/corrupt and influential individuals do not wish to have spread about.

[pimpeddakota]

Take Ted Bundy for instance. The guy is a well known celebrity with a large fan club, but the innocent, young girls he raped, mutilated, and murdered are all but forgotten.

People still talk about Charles Whitman for climbing into a tower and massacring unarmed pedestrians, but don't even know the names of the men who volunteered to enter the tower and apprehend him.

I cannot even turn my television on without seeing something about Hitler or his regime, or a murder investigation, cold case files etc. It's really depressing to know that you would be more loved, and remembered for going out and shooting 100 kids (Oslo instance) than you would ever be for devoting your life to helping others.

Yes your so right because we don't learn about Ghandi, Mother Theresa etc.... Oh wait we do... the sad thing is the ONLY THING YOU PAY ATTENTION TO IS THESE INCIDENTS

[Blood Fox]

It's really depressing to know that you would be more loved, and remembered for going out and shooting 100 kids (Oslo instance) than you would ever be for devoting your life to helping others.

First off its much easier to shoot 100 kids than it is to raise and nurture them. Secondly if you become INFAMOUS for your crimes it likely means they dont happen often and occur with a lot less frequency. If we were to "flip the moral compass" we sould be seeing these documents on saints and such, it more of them being interesting and a massive minority.

[Deleted]

What I find strange is why we idolize 99% of celebreties, why magazines pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to see a J.LO nipple, and why people care about such things.

At least a person like Ted Bundy or Hitler is fascinating in it's own way because of what drives them etc. And more then not, these kind of people have a sort of genius to them.

[Adam Jensen]

Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.

---------- Post added 2012-07-19 at 08:42 AM ----------

At least a person like Ted Bundy or Hitler is fascinating in it's own way because of what drives them etc. And more then not, these kind of people have a sort of genius to them.

But to be serious, this. Hitler is a very fascinating person to me, because I wonder what drove him to do such horrific things, what drove him to be so evil. The things Hitler, or Ted Bundy or any other evil person has done are often so terrible I can't even imagine myself doing. So it makes me wonder what drove them to do the things they did.

[Deleted]

Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.

Perfect answer. Humanity is Evil and Nature is the ennemy.

@Orissa. Here is why he was. A sweet puppet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haavara_Agreement

Just a doll.