Go Dexter, Go!

I was watching Dexter last night and found myself amused. I was amused at myself. There I was, intensely watching and rooting for Dexter's success. Dexter is a serial killer. But you can't help but like him. It made me think back to 7th grade when I went to see Silence of the Lambs on opening night. Just from the previews I knew Hannibal Lecter would be my favorite character. I was right.

What is it about us as a society that makes us root for the bad guy in movies. We cheer for the villain. Didn't we all want to see what Hannibal would do if he escaped? But in real life we don't root for the them .... or do we?

I can't flip through channels without stopping if I see Manson, Bundy, etc... on my screen. They are kind of the anti-hero. The psychopathic bad guy you love to hate or hate to love. These guys are intriguing. Are we fascinated by them because they do things most of us wouldn't even imagine doing? I can tell you I've never once though of breaking into a woman's dorm, raping someone, and leaving them in a pool of blood. The thought of brainwashing people and having them go torture innocent people for no reason - never crossed my mind. I can only think of one person that I know that has had these thoughts and acted on it. He's sitting in a jail cell right now. The rest of us aren't.

Why do we created these people into almost mythical type figures. Saying "Dahmer" brings to mind for all of us a pale guy from middle America with horrendous glasses and cannibalism. Movies are modeled after these disturbed people. Buffalo Bill - an example of a mixture of multiple serial killers. We should fear these men (and women - shout out, Aileen Wuornos!). We should despise them for their cruel acts. But then why are there women trying to have relationships with those that are alive and sitting in a prison cell? Why are things autographed by killers being sold on the internet? Why do I have a Hannibal Lecter doll proudly on display in my computer room at home?