You’ll probably hear his real name on TV after he is caught for horrific crimes, but we truly have no systemic answer on how to deal with such children. This problem is much more widespread than most people know. The stories only hit the press for a few days and are usurped by the next Stormy Daniels. Abnormal psychology is so aberrant that most people cannot imagine it, much less understand. That desire to understand is in itself a large part of the problem. We don’t need to understand these people; we need to recognize them and take protective action.
“Barbarian” cultures are often criticized for their excessive punishments, but many could teach us a few things about protecting society. Our system not only allows these behaviors, it enables the perpetrators to progress to larger crimes. The question isn’t whether you’d incarcerate or kill a young Dahmer; it’s why not?
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In earlier times, the town fathers would get together and kill such a creature. Or one of them would do it and others would look away.
Understood that it was needed to protect and preserve the community.
It amazes me that I can put on Netflix and watch numerous shows depicting real-life psychopaths, and yet people still maintain their normalcy bias when faced with such a person in real life. I cry when I see all the posts about how the families or caretakers of murderers are somehow responsible for the crimes.
Having worked in adoption and social-work for years (until I could no longer take anymore), I met hundreds of parents who tried everything to get help without any success. Most end up divorced; many are murdered by their own “children.” All of them are victims of narcissistic psychopaths who isolate them from all support, manipulate “professionals” with the skill of Bach playing a piano, and pervert the social service and justice systems for their own purposes. Until you’ve seen it firsthand, you cannot imagine the devastation wreaked by these individuals.
As a Christian, I believe it is a spiritual battle and one that cannot be won by science and psychology. There are, of course, persons with organic brain disorders and numerous physiological illnesses which respond to traditional medicine, but truly evil people defy any attempt at logic. They exude such a malevolent spirit that even the most secular observers to question their own (lack of) belief. From my perspective, only divine intervention could make any difference, but one cannot even mention such an approach in our wonderful system.
I confess I am cynical and may have some PTSD, but I know how these individuals operate. Reflexive legislation and student marches aren’t gonna stop them. They are predators who use every means to carry out their sadistic acts. Only swift and certain confinement or capital punishment will have any effect—and even that only effectively stops that individual; psychopaths are not swayed by any consequence that happens to any other person.