Last year at my workplace, 3 female co-workers and I somehow got into the topic of criminal minds and serial killers. All of the sudden the serial killer Aileen Wuornos got brought up.
It was a normal conversation so far until the 3 of them were trying so hard to convince me (as if trying to silence me or something when I didn't agree with them) to have compassion for her as a result of her horrible upbringing, how unfair her execution was, etc. I was puzzled by then. Pity for what? What on earth did you contribute to society besides murdering several people? Nothing. So what if you had a miserable childhood? Several people were abused and they don't go on a killing spree, destroying families. I think if someone keeps boasting about how they'll continue killing people and have disregard for human lives, then they should be put down ASAP.
I exited the room as soon as the conversation started getting more out of control and too much focus on the killer's gender rather than the act. This is the first time I've had an encounter like that. Is this the women some people have been complaining over the past years?
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Well, if you mean serial killers, then... kinda. I mean, people complain about them, but that kinda goes without saying- and gender is rarely a factor.
If you mean women who act horribly (though usually is ways far milder than murder), then yes. Our society gives men respect it doesn't give to women, but gives them empathy is doesn't extend to men. Think back to the coverage of any disaster, of any type, that you've ever seen: victims who are women and children are "women and children"; those who are men are "sailors" or "miners" or whatever their job is; their lives aren't seen as having inherent value- or at best, having less inherent value. It makes no difference who's doing the describing; men or women, old or young, rich or poor, African or European or American. This affects all of humanity, because it has roots far back in our evolution. Women, being the reproductive bottleneck, needed to be more protected. There probably were more egalitarian branches of humanity, but they were outbred and outcompeted by our ancestors.
Now, since we're not living under those conditions any more, there's no reason we can't change how we behave- but you need to understand that it's a struggle; it's monkey-brain level action, and you need to constantly check yourself.
Anyway, the women so shielded are not only deprived of realer knowledge of the realities of life, but not taught the same level of accountability, since the lower level of responsibility given to them means they have less power, and it matters less if they're assholes. Consequently, many act badly, which convinces others that they can't be trusted with power, which lowers the importance of their actions, and the cycle self-perpetuates. THAT, or rather, the results of that, are the women people complain about.
Yep. That's it. Thank you for being the sane one in the asylum that is modern society.
Yes.