Hopefully you were up late last Saturday night and were able to enjoy the “Murder Show” skit on Saturday Night Live (SNL). If not, click here to see what you missed out on!
Now that we are all on the same page, let us get into it.
If you have read my “Sharing Buds: Podcasts” article, you would know that I love a good true crime story. However, I find it very important to make sure that the horrendous acts and evil perpetrators are not glorified. That being said, let’s talk about the popularity of true crime media and the SNL skit.
Firstly, I want to make it clear that SNL is a comedy show, and I think that the “Murder Show” skit was hilarious. It depicts, in song form, the interesting way in which some women choose to unwind by watching and listening to true crime stories. It was one of the funniest skits I have seen in a while.
SNL did a great job in focusing on the peculiarity of the true-crime media industry and the people that ingest such media. However, it begs the question of whether or not it is ethically questionable to ingest media that discusses or depicts true crime. Is it insensitive to the victims? Does it glorify the crimes?
Here are my thoughts:
Intentions
What is the creators’ intention in telling a true-crime story? What are your intentions in ingesting the media?
I believe that victims should not be forgotten. Thus, in unsolved true crime stories, it is often beneficial to produce content detailing the known events in hope of gaining information from the public. However, projects like Netflix’s recent movie about Ted Bundy have questionable motives — are they just a means to profit off of and glorify an already infamous serial killer?
It is up to you which, if any, true crime content you consume. I suggest staying away from any media that glorifies the crimes or is insensitive to victims. I know it is a hard line to draw, but it is ultimately up to you.
Education
As a young female college student, I feel that it is essential to be educated and aware of any situation I find myself in. No matter how awful it sounds, we can learn a lot from hindsight. Learning what has happened to other people can equip you with the knowledge that could help you if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
A perfect example of public education through true crime is the essential disappearance of hitchhiking. Back in the 70s, hitchhiking was common practice; however, as the public gained knowledge of the dangers,it quickly became an obsolete practice.
We also can keep up to date with abductions, crime rings, and signs of sex trafficking that change/occurs on the day-to-day.
Entertainment
At the end of the day, I would be lying if the consumption of true crime is mainly for entertainment. There is some morbid curiosity that drives thousands of people to enjoy watching and listening to crime shows. I think that it is ok to find a morbid form of entertainment in true crime as long as your intentions remain good. You have to remember that these stories are based on real-life events that affected not only the victims but the families and communities that they were a part of. At the end of the day, respect is of utmost importance.
Whether or not you consume it, true crime media is certainly an interesting phenomenon. Enjoy respectfully!
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