While I respect your opinions, when people do monstrous things, they earn the title "monster". Trying to figure out why they did it, those mitigating factors, is all well and good for posterity but it doesn't ever redeem, rename them or their actions. They're still evil because they chose to be. Thank God he can never harm anyone again. AJMO
I wasn’t intending to say he wasn’t a monster, nor was I trying to redeem him, or make excuses to absolve him of guilt. I’m not saying he isn’t evil.
What I’m saying is that all of those quantities are human qualities. He is a human monster.
As soon as a person is accused of doing terrible things they are dehumanized by being called monsters. Everyone seems to have seen red flags. Often times there were no red flags- they did odd things that other odd people do.
Some describe their faces as looking evil, when I see people. There are human monsters that are physically attractive- handsome, pretty even.
If I saw BK on the street and walked past him- I would not see monster. I would see socially awkward young man who is not comfortable in his skin.
We humans have an innate need to look into those faces and see monsters- maybe we think we will notice them in our lives and that will keep us safe?
Sometimes they become the Other and not Us. A lot of terrible things have been done to people who are called Others, after being dehumanized.
If I look into the faces of murderers, I detest the actions, hate the pain and suffering they have caused other people, hate them for the choices they made and the fear they cause in me.
But I see them as people, they are human and also monsters.
I do not believe people are born evil. I think human monsters are created, either by mental illness, brain damage, society, their own obsessions, choices, or influences.
Did anyone know early on BK was going to murder people. I don’t think so- but was he troubled?
Babies are not born evil. Children are not born evil. What happens to them?
Can I hate the monster and in theory believe he deserves the pain he has caused his victims, and still see him as a person? Yes
But I would never physically attack him, or find joy in seeing him in physical pain or being tortured. No, I would feel empathy, I would want to defend him. I’m not a monster.
I feel like he is a waste of a young human life that had so much potential. And he took out three other young human lives that had so much potential.
But, he isn’t a non-human animal, supernatural, our imagination, a boogeyman, or an alien.
He is actually a 30 yr old man, who brutally killed four people, a human monster.
Only my opinions, trying to understand.
If we can understand, then maybe we can notice them, make ourselves feel safe, help the ones we come across when they are young? Fill the gaps, prevent the monster?
If we can’t learn from this- and try to prevent it- what a lot of wasted suffering and loss of five lives.
IMO