Simpson And Versace Analysis

Recently, FX aired the second season of American Crime Story, a series focusing on murders well-known within American history, such as OJ Simpson’s trial for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and the assassination of Gianni Versace by the late spree killer Andrew Cunanan. As these stories grasped the attention of millions of viewers, Scott Bonn, psychologist and criminology professor, studied the motive for the audience’s intrigue to this category of shows. Although Simpson and Versace were icons of their time, already appealing to the public, the concept of serial murder was what drew the vast audience, and the center for Bonn’s research. Bonn discusses how the impact of true crime television is harmless, as it merely just caters to the craving for thrills by the audience. However, true crime entertainment humanizes the inhumanity of these crimes, thus desensitizing the severity for those directly impacted. The persistent advertising of serial killers enables an unhealthy obsession within the American people, causing their fascination to not only be motivated by

confusion, yet admiration as well.
Regardless of prior fame of the victims or alleged perpetrator, crimes similar in horrific nature are all covered heavily by news outlets. Even with actual broadcasting of news and publicizing of murders, inspiration for copycat killers are put forth by the media. Bonn argues that further publicity through true crime is all in “ghoulish fun” for the viewers, as they feel a similar desire to when “eating my favorite candy in bed at three o’clock in the morning” (Bonn). The naivety of Bonn’s argument completely disregards and innocently categorizes the impacts advertising these crimes may have on the public. As of February 22, 2018, there have been 290 separate school shootings in the United States following the attacks on Sandy Hook elementary school in December 2012, in comparison to the 91 which preceded Sandy Hook from the beginning of the twenty-first century (Wilson). There have been over double the number of school shootings after Sandy Hook in less than half the time. Although there has not been a television series surrounding the Sandy Hook tragedy, the event consumed news stations for weeks following, exposing the killer and his tactics consistently through the media. With publicizing such events, it encourages people with similar notions of the ability to achieve their attack. It may even be viewed by some as a competition to outdo those televised.
Although covering these stories is obligatory for news outlets, true crime television creates an appealing and glamorized atmosphere surrounding these crimes. Contrary to Bonn’s belief of the publicizing of these crimes serving as “tasty fun”, it does have a negative impact. The romanticizing of murder on television shows affects the audience’s perspective on crimes. A direct correlation has been shown between what is broadcasted on television and the influence of temperament: “TV violence increases aggression and social anxiety, cultivates a “mean view” of the world, and negatively impacts real-world behavior” (Phillips). The purity of the audience is diminished as these television series desensitize the gruesome crimes which they mimic. By continuously catering to this fascination, these senseless crimes are beginning to be normalized.
Actors try to portray a character as accurately as they can, establishing themselves in the psychological and physical mindset of those lives which they are reenacting. When having a production reflect real life, the inhumane acts of criminals are humanized. Bonn argues that the “fascination with serial killers is based in part on a need to understand why anyone would do such horrible things to other people who generally are complete strangers to them” (Bonn), yet his generalization of the audience is ignorant. With the entertainment industry supplying this “understanding” to the public, reasoning is created in order to enable the audience’s comprehension as to why one would murder. Character dynamic allows for the audience to establish empathy and affinity towards characters, thus validating their actions as they relate to the viewers. True crime television tends to focus on capturing the perspective of the murderer, through the investigation of their convoluted mind, while minimizing and ignoring the everlasting impact on their victims. Andrew Cunanan was an unknown name until his identification as Versace’s murderer, as were many other serial killers. The story of Cunanan’s past overtook the focus of the American Crime Story series, therefore glamorizing his life as opposed to Versace’s. Even though he murdered five people, it is his legacy that was focused upon twenty-years later on television.
Bonn believes that serial killers act as a source of popular-culture, which “allow us to experience fear and horror in a controlled environment, where the threat is exciting, but not real” (Bonn).

The environments when these crimes took place were not controlled, nor was the fear endured enjoyable. The pain of the victims are easily forgotten, as well as the struggle which they faced the moment of their death and the times preceding it. Bonn’s argument that the horror felt is “not real” is significantly contradictory to the entire basis for true crime television; these murders really happened, and their television scenes emulate that of the actual occurrence. True crimes are continuously embellished as though they are tales that are to be passed down through generations, disregarding the genuine suffering experienced by the victims, both directly murdered and affected by the

murder.
Bonn’s interpretation of the effect true crime television has on audiences is narrowed and optimistic. The cruel reality of it is that these shows encourage aggression among their viewers and remind the victims of the horrific events. The attempt to understand behaviors is not just to fathom the brutality, yet copy it as well. True crime television does not serve as contribution to popular culture legends, but glamorizes the murderers, not just their felonies. Clearly demonstrated in the American Crime Story, Andrew Cunanan and OJ Simpson have the most significant characters within the series, sometimes not even mentioning their victims in each episode. The portrayal of Simpson and his team when reaching the non-guilty verdict, eerily encouraged the audience to feel joy, although the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson still have not received closure regarding their deaths. Additionally, when Cunanan took his life during his search, the Versaces, the Miglins, the Trails, the Madsons, and the Reeses all were left wondering of the motive for their loved one’s murder. The selfish fascination which audiences have with the murderers disregards the pain of victims, essentially showing respect for the murderer. A motivating factor for these murders could have been to disturbingly achieve recognition and display showmanship. In these cases, creating true crime television directly grants what the murderer wanted. Bonn views true crime television as entertainment for the audience, while ignoring the inevitable with paying respect to the murderers by glorifying their actions.