Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Paul M Sotkiewicz's avatar

Brian, interesting hypothesis in simulations. Let’s conduct an thought experiment. Take two groups: the first is raised and lives in relative safety, with little fear of what “true crime” can do to them. The second group grows up in a relatively dangerous environment where cons are the norm, violence is prevalent. My guess is that true crime stories are only interesting to the first group. The second group lives them on a regular basis and has no need or interest in true crime stories, and if anything does not want to be reminded.

I pose this based on my own life. Until I was almost 13, I grew up in a college town in Indiana. Pretty safe and small. At 13 we moved to S FL as the days of the cocaine cowboys, Mariel boatlift, money laundering and drug running. I saw more things in 6-8 years than I have seen collectively since. That is a real life simulation that remains with me though I hope to never use it, yet it colors the way I see the world to this day. I do not need true crime stories having seen it up close and personal.

Expand full comment
Ed P's avatar

Fascinating! Makes sense to me - how else might one get reliable info on how to detect these dangerous people in our lives? Or model how one would react to them?

I’d add, consistent with this simulation theory, there is a sort of anti-vicarious appeal. These make us feel good about ourselves that we are able to reject our darker impulses to gratify whatever urges at the expense of others. Then additionally the group able to outsmart the perp to bring him to justice - it is comforting that we are mostly safe from antisocial monsters and we’ve chosen wisely to not be one (because for sure we’d be caught.)

It is a pro-social narrative structure gratifying to us pro-social beasts.

Expand full comment
11 more comments...

No posts