Number 99

The Worst Serial Killer Ever!

I don't exactly remember when I was indoctrinated with the rule "Thou shall not steal", but it was fully in force by the age of 5 or 6. I often accompanied my dad to the local hardware store. I liked to do this because the store had a small toy section that I liked to evaluate while my dad found the #8 wood screws, finishing nails, or whatever else he was looking for. It probably goes with out saying that I always hoped my dad would let me get something.

During one particular visit, I was fixated upon a 'super' ball. You know, one of those small plastic balls that would bounce sky high, and then force you to chase it down because it always veered off in some crazy direction. Anyway, for whatever reason, I knew the 'Dad' option wasn't going to work that day, but I really wanted that ball, so I settled on a different option. I looked around furtively, and then slipped the ball into my pocket. Gotta love the five-fingered discount.

Here's the deal. I have no memory of that ball after it landed in my pocket. I don't remember playing with it, and I certainly have no recollection of whatever happened to it in the end. But I sure as shit remember stealing it. 50 years later, I can still recall how 'naughty' it felt. It was only a 10¢ toy.

Stealing is stealing, and I was wrong. Right?

Jean Valjean is one of the central characters in Les Miserables, at the beginning of the story he is being released from prison after serving a sentence for the theft of a loaf of bread. At the time of his arrest, his family had been desperately hungry with no money. At a point of deep desperation, he resorted to theft. This exact scenario is frequent fodder for philosophical discussions centered upon the question, "At what point would you consider breaking the law?". Since Jean Valjean is the 'hero' of the story, and the police official who pursues him is the 'villain', the audience is clearly expected to view Jean (and his theft of bread) sympathetically. If you allow me to take this analysis one step further, I believe that Victor Hugo believes there are forces at play, way beyond Jean's control, that forced him into a corner where his only option for survival was theft.

But stealing is stealing, and Jean Valjean was wrong. Right?

Looting is wrong, too. So is wanton destruction and violence. They are misguided missiles of anger and desperation that usually destroy innocent targets. This is how I feel. I'm not going to try and pull the rug out from under you at the end of this paragraph with a rhetorical question designed to get you to consider that the violence associated with looting is justified. The only thing I ask you to wonder about are the forces at play, beyond the control of the rioters, that forced them into a corner where violent confrontation felt like the only option available to them. Perhaps societal structures that tacitly send the message that it's all right for a law enforcement officer to leave his knee on George Floyd's neck until he is way past dead.

I'm a bit of a true crime junkie. I kind of wish it wasn't so, but it's true. Because of my interest, I know the horrific details of many different serial killers and their 'careers'. It begs the question, "who is the worst serial killer ever?". It's an utterly reprehensible question, as it forces you to evaluate the worst depravities ever perpetrated by one person upon another. Ultimately the answer is, "It doesn't matter", because any and all violence inflicted upon others is evil. This is why it is wrong to condemn looters without questioning and condemning the racist societal structures that have existed for centuries in this country.

For us white folks with privilege, these societal structures are mostly invisible. Now is the time stop talking. Now is the time to listen to the stories our Black and Brown neighbors have to tell. It's the best way forward.