Why People Kill Peoplefeatured

Snap. Crackle. Pop. Although this is the Rice Crispies slogan, it is what we often hear happens when someone snaps and decides to do something “out of character.”I watch a lotttt of crime shows. One is called “Snapped.” It goes through criminal timelines highlighting the fact that people “snap” before they commit heinous crimes.

We go through life often thinking we “know” the person next door or the cashier at the market. But do we really? How can you really know or predict a person’s future actions? I often hear people say, “I thought he couldn’t harm a fly,” or “She was the sweetest lady,”  or “He’s not capable of killing people.”

I see a common thread throughout all these crime shows. Not all killers show symptoms of dysfunction. It’s usually the “nicest guy” or the person who was “so quiet,” or that person whose life seemed so “perfect.”

So why do people do bad things? I am sure some are just downright insane. I am sure a scan will show they were wired all wrong since birth. But what about those “normal” people who “snapped?”

I watch all my crime shows in hopes that I can get a sneak peek into what was happening in their brains before they decide to kill and/or hurt people.

Sounds a bit morbid, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s because my dad’s a detective or maybe it’s because I am a borderline psychopath? Whatever the reason, I seldom hear the criminal’s thought before “snapping.”

Could it be that they never had a moment where everything changed for them? Maybe we never hear about this snapping moment because it’s not as common as we think. I am sure some killers do snap, but not all.

I listened to the last interview with Ted Bundy last night. He said he came from a “normal” family that had lots of love and support. He said he is not a victim in any way and that he takes full responsibility for killing at least 35 people in his lifetime.

I found this interview refreshing. Is that strange? He seemed so rational although completely insane. I just liked that he didn’t blame anyone. He straight up said I was exposed to violence at a young age and it became an addiction that was very hard to curb.

So maybe people don’t usually just snap? Maybe it’s more likely that it was a slow progression into the depths of pure evil. Nature and nurture must then both come into play when creating a killer. Maybe not all of them, but some.

One socialized psychopath explained that although his brain scans show he is likely a criminal, he has never committed a crime. He believes that his positive upbringing played an essential role in not nurturing a criminal. He went on to say that looking back, he has always been manipulative in a socially accepted way. Upon meeting people, he has always been skilled at making them believe his “story.”

I firmly believe we are all insane in our own way. How we manifest this crazy is really up to us. Unless we are seriously mentally ill, I think our environment has a lot to do with our later actions in life. And after listening to Bundy, I am convinced that not all bad people have to snap before committing their first crime.

I think we have crime shows like Snapped to make sense of it all. If we just say all killers had a snapping moment then we can put them in a simple category. Whatever the case, it’s safe to say that people who snap actually had many prior experiences that influenced their most negative of moments. The real psychos are just born that way but what about the society-bred ones?

Love Deeply and Forever,

Karen

Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2018 Karen  Pierik