I suppose there are always certain individuals and groups of individuals who get so drawn into something like this that they sort of go off the reservation, but what amazes me most is that we are aware of such more heinous crimes than this appears to be ... yet there is this strange need in people to absolutely go down with this one case.
Casey's appearance and body language are what they are and no matter what they are - ridicule and judgement will be abundant. Unceasing. Some have so interjected into this whole thing that it is dangerous on many levels.
(Bolded by me).
You know why I think that is? I'll probably get skewered here, but it's just my feeling. I think that some of the other cases are too horrific to talk or think about much. Like Baby Grace. What that kid went through was so horrible it is hard for me to follow the case. This case is safer to talk about and get involved in because although it is horrible, we do not have to hear gruesome details of a child suffering endlessly. We imagine, but I get the sense that many here feel Caylee died a "soft" death, if any murder can be deemed that. In other words, she was not beaten to death, tortured to death, or died as a result of sustained, brutal physcial or sexual child abuse.
I follow many crime cases on WS and elsewhere. One case, the dungeon incest story out of Austria, was so horrifying to me that I almost panicked. I just could not fathom the intensity, the length of the suffering of those held and tortured by fritzl. That case was one that gave me such a sick, sick feeling that I had to stay away from it.
Obviously, this case is horrifc as well and there have been many times that suddenly, my clinical approach to this case has been punctured by the realization that little Caylee was a darling, living, breathing baby and that nothing anyone can do anything to bring her back. I think of the utter waste of such a life and that is hard. It baffles me, it fills me with sorrow. Nevertheless, I can read about this case more easily than more brutal ones. Does that make sense a little?
I also think that there is a circle created that makes this case very interesting to many people and that makes people out for blood: casey's reactions and attitudes, her apathy, apparent arrogance and utter contempt for life and love, family and the vulnerability of children - all of that inspires revulsion and fascination by the public and the media. So, the media covers it intensively. Then, the media coverage itself inspires fascination and revulsion. So it goes.
What is hard to understand for many is that here was a fairly attractive, middle class girl living in one of the nicest places to live in the U.S., with tons of friends, a family that supported her financially and otherwise, lots of opportunity and a precious, adorable child. And, she destroyed all of that for what seems to be no reason at all.
Contrast that with the story of Baby Grace's mother who was still in high school when she got pregnant, was unattractive and nerdy, did not have many friends, seemed to have been abandoned by her own family, was of lower income status, and who then went on to do what so many women in such a situation do - find a man, any man and then out of desparation to keep him, allow him to harm your child (and participate as well).
We have seen that story played out over and over. Although disgusting and barbaric, it is not surprising. For many, the story of casey and Caylee is very surprising. casey really had it all. Few of the risk factors for infanticide that are generally known were present and even those that were present seemed to be mitigated greatly by other things present in casey's life (at least until you dig a bit deeper). Anyhow, that causes the case to be a bit more mysterious and incomprehensible to people and hence, to engender more rage at the actions of a person whose life was charmed in comparison to many others'.
That's my take on why so many people get so outraged by this case while other cases are somewhat ignored, even when much more horrific.
But, in the end, every murder of a child and very case of child abuse should be viewed as equally intolerable to society.
(eta that is a joke)
