reseach essay
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Olivia A Newey
Dr. Erin Dietel-McLaughlin
WR: 13300 Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric
1st April 2014
Research Essay
How has public perception of vindictive, malicious serial killers and the madness that defines
them as psychopaths changed over time with the medias presentation and the appreciation of
them in film and television?
My interest in the topic stems from my own experience. WatchingDexter, a modern
interpretation of how a psychopath can positively affect society, inspired my thought on how an
emotionless, violent, assassin can conjure likability and popularity amongst viewers; a very
different perspective to just over 50 years ago whenPyschodisturbed the screens of the
population. I then took to analyze why this change in perception has occurred and where it
originates from. Naturally, I looked to the two biggest influences on society and perspective
today: the media and Hollywood. Within my essay I ask myself: is it a genuine change in
perspective or is it more a false indoctrination which falsely amplifies a body that should instead
be loathed and feared.
Before one can analyse the changing view on psychopaths, I think it is first important to
understand what a psychopath is and what characteristics it occupies. According to J. Blair,
psychopathy is a disorder that consists of multiple components ranging on the emotional,
interpersonal and behavioral spectrum. More so, there are 16 criteria for the diagnosis of
psychopathy: superficial charm, lack of anxiety, lack of guilt undependability, dishonesty,
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egocentricity, failure to form lasting intimate relationships, failure to learn from punishment,
poverty of emotions, lack of insight into the impact of ones behaviour on others, and failure to
plan ahead(The Psychopath). This is otherwise known as the PCL (Psychopathy Checklist) inScience and Psychology. Now we have an understanding of what constitutes a psychopath, we
can start to analyse whether the public has it changing perspective towards it. We can do this by
using a modern day example:Dexter.
Dexter is originally an American TV drama that has spread pervasively around the globe as an
entertainment sensation. Focused on the main character: Dexter Morgan, who as well as working
for Miami Metro Police Department as a blood spatter analyst, also leads the secret life a serial
killer. Originally derived from a novel and adapted for TV,Dexter hit a total of 6.1 million views
a week across all platforms (IMDb) and more than 3 million viewers for the series 8 finale
(IMDb) the largest overall audience in ShowTimes history. What does this say? When suchTV programs challenge our judgment and morals; shown by the lack of angst and remorse when
an innocent individual is killed but the overwhelming concern at the thought ofDexter getting
caught or imprisoned, we have to ask ourselves: Is this a new fad for the sedentary individual or
crazed TV personality and has the population become captivated by psychopathic killers? More
so, the lack of surprise or distress at the fact that not only is he a psychopathic serial killer who
has to make a frequent kill to remain composed, but that he works for the enforcement agency
that is meant to protect one from such danger. We further see this with other modern day
television programs such as Sherlock Holmes and Breaking Bad who are offering a new
portrayal of cold inhumane beings becoming necessary evils in society. What is called into
question through this analysis is: is this indoctrination? Is a psychopath becoming acceptable to
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the general public if they can have us believe that he has good intentions? Or, are we just
overthinking the whole concept of TV entertainment? Are we making the mistake of placing
reality and fantasy in the same dimension and not excusing the fact that many working
individuals want to come home at the end of a long day and submerge themselves into a show
that is perplexed and in no way parallel to society? That is what this essay will explore
eventually concluding what the real consequence of modern day interpretations is.
On another note, before one can really identify if public perception really has changed on the
subject of psychopaths, it is important to first identify how and why public opinion is changed.
As argued by Daniel Yankelovich, public opinion is not static. It is interchangeable and
malleable when presented with new concepts, feelings or ideas. However, to overcome the raw,
unstable opinion of individuals, they must journey through 7 stagesin order to form a moredeveloped and reliable picture of opinion. These 7 stages consist of: 1) Dawning Awarenessthe act of becoming aware of an issue. 2) Greater Urgencypeople move beyond a generalawareness to acquiring a sense of urgency. 3) Reaching for Solutions individuals look foralternatives to dealing with issues. 4) Wishful Thinking= the publics wishful thinking must beovercome before they come to grips with more realistic solutions. 5) Weighing the choicesweighing the pros and cons of the alternatives for dealing with the solution. 6) Taking a stand
intellectually. 7) Making a responsible judgement morally and emotionally(7 Stages of PublicOpinion). Many people have been faced with the concept of a friendlyserial killer over recentyears - as concept that was originally hard to grasp because of the many negative connotations
society has pinned on psychopaths, the horrific crimes we hear committed by such people, and
the horror stories we hear as a child. Because of this, the idea that they can be goodand
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thoughtful, and acting in the best interests of the public is very strange. But, its also arguable
that such a concept been accepted. However, what one must analyse is judging by the 7 stages
of public opinion, has public opinion really changed, or is it a faade are we looking toodeeply into a fictional TV show, shown for entertainment? According to the article, step 1 is
dawning awareness. There has certainly been widespread awareness of the TV shows
introducing affable serial killers into living rooms all across the world it has conjured up muchinterest socially. Stage 2 is arguably also fulfilled as there are many who have taken to media to
express their concern with what Dexter and other shows are implying to those who are easily
convinced in following a trend. Reaching for solutions, step 3, is also seen to have been
attempted: the show was moved, after large concern, to be aired after 8pm as an attempt to target
it to more mature, developed minds over those more impressionable. Then lastly, if the last step
is achieved does this automatically confirm a change in public opinion? Looking at Step 7:
Making a Responsible Judgement Morally and Emotionally, it states that, even if it occurs
overtime, the public comes to accept the idea. That is, the public comes to accept the idea that
serial killers and psychopaths alike are deemed acceptable to the public. Although this is not
what I am arguing directly in this research paper - I am arguing if we have become fixated with
them not if we have come to accept them as tolerable beings in society, it can still give us anidea as to if public opinion has changed due to such TV shows and interest, or whether its just
another TV show on another TV network..
After the above background information, I can now sufficiently present my argument and come
to a well-rounded debated conclusion as to whether we have accepted the psychopath in the non-
fiction world, or if its just a phenomenon in the fiction realm of entertainment.
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Firstly, the Article The New American Hero (Donnelly)presents an interesting idea on how
Dexter is becoming a hero to the American television world. The show offers the contrast
between traditional American ideology and Americas new pop culture. Donnelly quotes another
author, Simpson, stating that killers are coded as monsters, but a tragic personal history of abuse
or neglect is also usually fore grounded as a part of the narrative, humanizing them to at least
some extent and making them capable of earning our sympathy(Donnelly) - this counteractsthe view that it is only recently that perceptions have changed towards serial killers and we don t
see them just as all being bad. What Donnelly does do in this this publication, however, is
present a view as to why Dexter is likedrather than despised for the killer he is. The reason is:Dexter is differenthe is not like us and we are not like him. Clear black and white boundaries
reinforce difference and pose no threat to our conceptualizations of what is right and wrong.
Dexter can kill because he is Other, he is not like us(Donnelly). What this view does iscounter the expectation that it is the media that is the reasoning behind our change in perception
in psychopaths. It instead states that it is the lack of similarities and fictional characteristics that
separate the Dexter from us, the general public and thus likeability comes from his difference
and lack of threat.
Secondly, the underlying morals of the storyline are recognizable. In other words, it has parallels
with the values that we are grown to love as children. A hero normally epitomized by Captain
America or Iron Man, is originally a victor who acts in the interest of the good by defeating the
very bad. Upon analysis, this is comparable toDexter.Iron Man defeats its villains, those who
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are a threat to the innocent in society. Dexter does this too - he just so happens to defeat his
villains in more questionable methods: stabbing a knife through their chest. Although a similar
context, the execution is very different much more brutal and cold-blooded. However, bothshare the same values of a good guy catching a bad one a real life superhero scenario.Therefore, this offers the view that one could be merely forgetting the barbarous implementation
because of the underlying relativity and comparability to true superhero stories.
Furthermore, another reason we have become so obsessed with Dexter is not a culture change or
media influenced, but the techniques of screenwriters and editors. This view is supported by
Collerton, featured in The New York Timesarticle, who is a representative for CBS (the network
that airsDexter). He sates that We really try to handle the violence in a suggestive, elegant way
rather than a very explicit way(Jenson). This implies that it isnt necessarily that we are goingthrough a cultural transition of psychopaths gaining acceptance in society, but more so that the
editing and script almost indoctrinates the viewer to fall in love with the character. The character
was written to be liked by its viewers, not detested, and thus this is merely portrayed on screen.
What must be taken into consideration is the reliability of the quotation it was published by anewspaper that was quoting a man representing a network only positive comments would bereleased to the press. However, this is not a subject of which is in need of debate and thus its
credibility is more accepted.
Moreover, further accreditation to my statement that it is more a viewing for entertainment than a
cultural change, is an interview conducted with the actor who portrays Dexter himself. Michael
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Hall, the actor behind the main character Dexter Morgan when he says:"I took about two weeks
to consider whether this was something I wanted to commit to. I recognized that I was making an
open-ended commitment to try to beat life into a character that claimed to be without
fundamental human traits, and that was kind of dicey for me(Alston). The hesitation from Hall
contradicts the idea that we are warming to the idea of psychopaths - or is it just merely showing
the difficulties for an actor that a role like this can show? The article does however show the
portrayal of Dexter being very different from the portrayal of a normalpsychopath when itsays: a viewer could just as easily be watching a heroic, likable, traditionally moral character. It
is therefore arguable that our acceptance comes from a facade created by the professionals within
entertainment rather than a general change in perception towards the matter.
On the other hand, there are opposing arguments that offer insight and evidence into the claim
that it isnt just entertainment, but a cultural transformation to the acceptance and obsession with
psychopaths.
Firstly, Michael Birch supports that film and television are changing the way people view serial
killers, but also offers reasoning as to why. He states that it is the social changes taking placewhich is because of economics and technologythat is influencing public perception, thuscontributing to significant changes in the media(Birch). In other words, due to the changespeople are experiencing in their daily lives, this is affecting their outlook on people and
situations. Birch introduces the study of the Steadman and Cocozza Project, 1977, USA, which
was designed to assess the impact of media coverage on beliefs and attitudes. Although the study
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found that the mental insane (among those: psychopaths) to be dangerous and harmful, it found
that there was public confusion as to who was criminally insane. H.J. Steadman and J.J. Cocozza
identified that such confusion arose from the medias emphasis on prior history of mental
treatment of individuals committing violent and bizarre crimes, and from misunderstanding of
the role of mental health professionals in criminal proceedings(PubMed). What this outlines isthat although there isnt necessarily an obsession with serial killers, nor is there an acceptance,
the portrayal by the media has led to confusion amongst the general public and thus we could be
confusing this confusion with acceptance.
Philip Simpson inPsycho Paths: Tracking The Serial Killer Through Contemporary American
Film and Fiction looks at film production in recent years and identifies how filmmakers portray
serial killers. He states: almost every narrative in the serial killer canon of fiction exhibits
ambivalence toward stability and detestability(Simpson). It goes on to explain how in many
films, serial killers are violent, predatory men who in most cases seek women, but are the reason
behind brutal and seemingly unnecessary killings. Taking into consideration that this print was
published in 2000, and comparing it to previously mentioned articles such as:A Warmer, Fuzzier
Kind of Serial Killer(Jenson) and The New American Hero: Dexter, then this is evident that that
was the view over a decade a go and this newperspective on serial killers such as Dexter iswhat is now. In other words, perspective has changed over the years, whether that is due to
society or the media.
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Additionally, concern at the effect it is having on minds that is the new, positive representationof a vicious being, is shown via The Parents Television Council (PTC) raising their concerns at
Dexters content and depiction. PTCs President Timothy F. Winter said the series compels
viewers to emphaises with a serial killer, root for him to prevail, to hope he doesnt get
discovered(Parents Television Council). His use of the word compelsimplies that the viewersminds are impressionable and shows likeDexter are leaving an impression that it is okto backa serial killer and to want him to succeed. This concern is further aired when the PTC fought for
Dexter to be shown at a time when the more impressionable minds namely those of childrenand teenagers
are in bed, as it was advised for the
adult viewer
. This highlights that there is a
concern that public perception may be changing and those who have identified this and are
concerned are trying to voice this.
After analyzing the above statements, concerns and affirmations, I have come to conclude that
what we are seeing in society is not a genuine change in perspective or a shift in tolerance
towards malicious demons thought to be once disturbing, such asPyscho 50 years ago, nor is the
media indoctrinating us to believe that psychopaths can act in the interest of the good and be
utilitarians. I am not saying that people do not believe serial killers can be an advantage to
society, likeDexterthere may be some who have taken to believe that although the scientificdefinition of psychopaths implies they cannot act in good of one another, they are heroes. What I
am stating is that the TV show, just like many others with similarities in topic, are produced and
aired for entertainment purposes. Entertainment has been around ever since we can think to do its
job of taking peoples mind off of their tough, undesirable or otherwise mundane lives, and
although them to live in a fictional environment or another reality. Yes, Dexter does portray a
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serial killer in a favourable light, and yes we do find ourselves anticipating his next kill, but we
havent become malicious or emotionless, nor have we decided that serial killers deserve
commendation. Perhaps, we use TV shows such asDexter as a way of portraying an alter ego, a
way of enacting our most violent, malicious thought without any repercussions in society. I
believe for the underlying values of protecting the will of the innocent, defeating the villains and
for purposes of pure entertainment, that is why we have become more involved in TV dramas
such asDexter. Although it seems we are very much fixated with serial killers in television in
this decade, it is more a fad and will soon move onto the next big thing.
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Bibliography
7 Stages of Public Opinion. Public Agenda, 2014. Web.
Alston, J. Sympathy for the Devil; Homicidal? Yes. Charming? Absolutely. Meet Showtime's
Dexter, TV's latest, and perhaps most twisted, antihero.Newsweek. 2006. Web.
Birch, Michael.Mediating Mental Health: Contexts, Debates and Analysis. Ashgate Publishing,
UK. 2012. Print.
Blair, J. and Blair, K. and Mitchell, D. The Psychopath: Emotion and the Brain. Blackwell
Publishing, MA. 2005. Print
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CBS Shows Ultra-Violent Serial Killer Drama Dexter in Prime Time. Parents Television
Council, 2008. Web.
Cocozza, J.J and Steadman, H.J.Public Perceptions of the Criminally Insane. PubMed.gov,
1978. Web.
Dexter. IMDb. 2012. Web
Donnelly, A. M. (2012), The New American Hero: Dexter, Serial Killer for the Masses.The
Journal of Popular Culture, 45: 1526
Jenson, Elizabeth.A Warmer, Fuzzier Kind of Serial Killer?.The New York Times.
nytimes.com, 26 Sept. 2008. Web.
Simpson, Philip L.Psycho Paths: Tracking The Serial Killer Through Contemporary American
Film and Fiction. Southern Illinois University Press. 2000. Print.
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