The US and the UK have produced a huge # of serial killers

[Modem Butterfly]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers

What's up with this?

[4morewars]

1. We are very sick societies ?

That's the first thing that came to mind. A culture of violence begets more violence.

[Modem Butterfly]

3. The UK though?

[SmartBomb]

6. War is peace...

"Anything can happen
In a world so full of pain
People give their lives to making war
And we call those people sane..."

Jackson Browne (Anything can happen)





We've been very ill for a very long time.

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. Better CSI groups?

:shrug:

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. I meant this seriously. We have the money and the technology and the

police force to investigate these things. Other countries do not. Plus we have quite a large population.

[McCamy Taylor]

4. Lack of affirmation of ones emotions by parents and society can lead

to the kinds of emotional problems that serial killers have. WASP men tend to be taught to repress sadness and fear and a variety of other natural emotions. They are often pushed out of the nest young. They believe that no one really sees them for who they are or cares about them for who they are, and that society expects them to put on a false face. These ingredients combined with other childhood trauma can push some vulnerable people over the edge.

This kind of childhood also breeds people like Hitler.

[randr]

5. It may actually be the results of a more

open and free press.
Many countries may have serious problems with serial killers, especially the killers of women, and no one would ever know.
I am thinking of all the murders on the Mexican border that have taken place over the last few years. All investigations that I have read about have concluded massive official ineptness and possible cover up.

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. Bingo!

[Modem Butterfly]

8. The UK press is significantly less free than ours

Moreover, a number of deaths on the US/Mexican border are likely caused by US citizens.

[mr blur]

14. Less free?

I'm just curious - what makes you say that?

[Modem Butterfly]

15. Prior restraint isn't illegal in the UK

Their gov't can restrict publication of any story it wishes. Our gov't, the US, can't get prior restraint without a court order

[mr blur]

17. OK...

I see what you mean. (I'm in the UK btw). I thought you might be referring to the things which our respective papers actually report and judging from the number of links I've seen here to The Guardian and the BBC we don't do so badly! Both those bodies have reported things which the govt. would rather keep quiet about and certainly in the 80s The Guardian was one of the Evil Hag Thatcher's prime targets.

[JohnnyRingo]

9. And terrorists

McVeigh
Nichols
Kazynski (unibomber)
Texas tower sniper
Health clinic bombers

[Modem Butterfly]

10. Don't forget the Klan

[JohnnyRingo]

12. Never thought of it....I guess "hate group" is synonymous with "terrorist"

In which case, we're up there with the best of 'em.

[Egalitariat]

16. DC Sniper as well***

nm

[kk897]

13. "Citizen X"--Russian serial killer Chicotilla (not sure of spelling)

Was a horrible, horrible killer, dozens of girls. I don't know if any of you ever saw the HBO movie based on the case, but one of the reasons (according to the film, so take it with a grain of salt) he killed so many is because the Russian government would not allow the investigator to call the cases the work of a serial killer. In their logic, only decadent Western societies could produce serial killers. So the investigator was not given the necessary resources and the investigation went on for years. Eventually, the Russian government, or at least one particular representative of it, softened their stance and allowed the investigator to consult with American FBI profilers. They did manage to catch the guy after that, and the implication was that if he hadn't been able to make contact with the FBI, he wouldn't have been able to catch Chicotilla.

My point is, I guess, that not every culture would look at the work of a serial killer and say, "hey! that's a serial killer!" There can be political motivations not to do so; currently, this is the situation in Mexico with the *hundreds* of women killed in recent years, many of whom seem to American observers to be the victims of the same person or group.

[alcuno]

19. We (the US) have 85% of the world's serial killers.

People around the world study this phenomena. I sat with a British woman on an airplane recently who was going on holiday in Florida. She was practically in tears with the way that Americans who worked for the airline ( American carrier) had treated her.

I've been overseas about 15 times (including Russia) and let me assure you that we need more psychiatric help in this country. As a nation, we are angry, hostile, and self-involved - not a good combination.

[SoCalDem]

18. Angry white men are two things we have in common.

Men who have no "real" power, and choose "another way" to feel powerful.:(