I dont admire her, but i pity her and while all people have personal responsibility for what they've done, she wasnt the same as a person up and choosing to do horrid things.
Serial killer Aileen Carol Wuornos (2 Viewers)
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Probably like many others here, I read heaps of stuff on and about serial killers, ditto with documentaries. My fascination is in trying in some way to understand how and why they can do what they do. Not for one minute do I deify so called serial killers. Or for that matter, any killers.
Wuornos was one person though who seemed - despite all her raging victimisation, paranoia and straight out looniness - somehow likeable. While streetwise and unsophisticated she was 'real', vulnerable, at times self deprecating and without guile or hypocrisy. Despite everything, she still hung onto the shred of self she did have.
Wuornos appeared to me, someone who killed a series of people. As opposed to a serial killer. I imagined the world to her would have always felt unsafe, incomprehensible and terrifying. As it would have been too, for her victims in their last moments. Without question.
But in the end, too crazy to be put to death. Imho.
Wuornos was one person though who seemed - despite all her raging victimisation, paranoia and straight out looniness - somehow likeable. While streetwise and unsophisticated she was 'real', vulnerable, at times self deprecating and without guile or hypocrisy. Despite everything, she still hung onto the shred of self she did have.
Wuornos appeared to me, someone who killed a series of people. As opposed to a serial killer. I imagined the world to her would have always felt unsafe, incomprehensible and terrifying. As it would have been too, for her victims in their last moments. Without question.
But in the end, too crazy to be put to death. Imho.
pustulant prurience
Itchy & annoyed
I agree, if anyone should not get the death penalty due to insanity, it should have been her. She really was not of sane mind, especially near the end.
pustulant prurience
Itchy & annoyed
Yes she did. I think if I was in that position where I was fairly sure there was no way out, I'd prefer to get it over as fast as possible rather than sitting in a cell for who knows how many months or years, wondering if I was ever going to get a break with about the same odds as winning the hundred million lottery, y'know? That alone has got to wear someone's sanity down, little by little.
In the end, if you ever saw that documentary about her by that British slimeball, she was completely out there, saying the cops set her up, they knew she was a serial killer & they wanted to make money off of her story. According to Aileen, basically they MADE her kill people by maneuvering her into those situations & then allowing her to kill, then not doing anything about it. I don't think she was saying that to sound nutty, I think at that point, she really actually believed that.
I listened to carnival after hearing that it was what she wanted at her funeral. It brings about a complex mixture of emotions. I hope she found peace, i think its all she ever wanted.
Ravyn6747
Lurker
Aileen is unique. As someone stated previously, I too view her as more of a killer of a series of people as opposed to a serial killer. Completely different mindset, motivations, etc. I'm definitely not a fan of hers, but I always had the feeling that there was a lot more going on with her than anyone realized.
pustulant prurience
Itchy & annoyed
Aileen had a horrific childhood. Whether she exaggerated anything or not, other people have verified that she was thrown out of her house at a very young age, lived in the woods at the end of her street, was horribly abused, almost froze to death in the winter sleeping in cars, prostituted herself for food & cigarettes as a kid, etc. You've got to wonder who could go through that kind of abuse & abandonment and possibly come out of it halfway decent.
I sort of felt bad for her, as I always have a little part of me that sort of feels sorry for SOME other killers, who either had REALLY shitty lives beyond belief, experienced severe abuse, &/or have some kind of mental illness they simply can't help. I'm in no way justifying anyone or anyone's actions. I don't think the rule that "if someone knows right from wrong they're sane" is any way to judge someone's sanity, although I do understand it's in place so murderers can't just walk off scott-free. But if a serial killer doesn't have some kind of mental disorder that they can't help, then I don't know how anyone could call anyone like that "sane." Sane people ALL have the urge/thoughts to kill someone else at some point in their lives (or days, LOL) but they don't act on it. IMO, someone who knows it's wrong but acts on that urge because they lack empathy, a conscience, &/or logical thought, there is something mentally wrong with them. It's very easy to say "they're just evil" & throw them in prison forever. They are certainly dangerous people, & I in no way am advocating that they should be allowed back into the public, given freedom, or sent to less-secure mental institution, but I do think someday when we understand the human brain better, we're going to find something wrong with the way serial killers' minds work. I don't think we can ever "fix" a disturbed mind like that, but maybe we can do other things to prevent future ones.
Then again, without serial killers, this world we be a slightly more boring place.
I sort of felt bad for her, as I always have a little part of me that sort of feels sorry for SOME other killers, who either had REALLY shitty lives beyond belief, experienced severe abuse, &/or have some kind of mental illness they simply can't help. I'm in no way justifying anyone or anyone's actions. I don't think the rule that "if someone knows right from wrong they're sane" is any way to judge someone's sanity, although I do understand it's in place so murderers can't just walk off scott-free. But if a serial killer doesn't have some kind of mental disorder that they can't help, then I don't know how anyone could call anyone like that "sane." Sane people ALL have the urge/thoughts to kill someone else at some point in their lives (or days, LOL) but they don't act on it. IMO, someone who knows it's wrong but acts on that urge because they lack empathy, a conscience, &/or logical thought, there is something mentally wrong with them. It's very easy to say "they're just evil" & throw them in prison forever. They are certainly dangerous people, & I in no way am advocating that they should be allowed back into the public, given freedom, or sent to less-secure mental institution, but I do think someday when we understand the human brain better, we're going to find something wrong with the way serial killers' minds work. I don't think we can ever "fix" a disturbed mind like that, but maybe we can do other things to prevent future ones.
Then again, without serial killers, this world we be a slightly more boring place.
Its almost like Frankenstein. Someone made that monster and turned it loose. Society blamed the creature and killed it.
pustulant prurience
Itchy & annoyed
There isn't anything to be scared of anymore.
As long as you arent a prostitute hatin john, you're fine.
J
JeansNPearls
Internet Warrior
I am going to overlook your little comment about the U.S. because we aren't in F/L/H... However...where Arlene Pralle is concerned your term of "Christ insane nutters" is spot on... I always felt that this woman latched on to Lee for the notoriety and for any possible financial gain... I don't believe she ever cared or looked out for Lee's best interests and instead she and that assclown "lawyer" Dr. Legal were only looking out for themselves...
J
JeansNPearls
Internet Warrior
Wow! So it's just that cut and dried for you is it? Well...the way I look at it is that not you nor those jurors that convicted her had her fucked up life when she was growing up... Or if they did...maybe they had the psychiatric resources available to deal with it... Lee did not... But does that make it ok for her to kill those men? Hell no...it's the same old argument about how a lot of people were abused as children but didn't grow up and become a serial killer... I include myself in that category which is probably why I can sympathize with her... But I think she needed ongoing psychiatric intervention to deal with the things that she had to deal with growing up...NOT multiple death sentences... Maybe if she'd have had that even as a teen...those men would still be alive today... Oh and then there was your little quote... "Because life doesn't always mean life" Well...actually... The last I heard...life WITHOUT possibility of parole means EXACTLY that... NO chance of parole! Which could have also been utilized for additional counseling or whatever treatment that psychiatrists felt would be the most beneficial to her... But no...she was written off like yesterdays donuts while cops actually tried to get a movie deal out of it... Talk about BULLSHIT!! smh I don't know you personally LDG... You may actually be a pretty awesome individual but I have a feeling we're just going to have to end up agreeing to disagree on this one...
So what were her victims guilty of, where would have been their justice if she had have gotten psychiatric help and treated with kid gloves? Is it rational to see them as the perp's and her as the victim? All they did was pay for sex and ended getting blown away (excuse the pun) for their trouble. She was executed and rightly so.
J
