IHSS Anthrpology

  Max Barger

Mr. Roddy

IHSS

24 August 2021

Ethnography on Serial Killers and Deviants

I walk into the room, I see Dahmer sitting there; I introduce myself and he tells me that I already know who he is. I ask him what he thinks I know about him. He tells me that I am just another investigator coming to interview him on why he had murdered 17 people. He tells me that he would pick high-risk victims, like criminals, so that it wouldn’t be as noticeable when they went missing. I tell him what I know: he is the type of serial killer who is categorized as an organized killer. These types of killers would select their victims at different places, but still in their comfort zones. Comfort zones are places where they live and are familiar with. Almost all serial killers perform inside their comfort areas, wherever that might be. In Jeffrey Dahmer’s case, he would hunt his victims close to home and then actually kill in his home in Milwaukee, WI. There are four types of serial killers, hedonistic, visionary, mission-oriented, and power/control-oriented. Dahmer was a hedonistic killer. This means that he was compelled by the thrill of the acts, and the sexual gratification of it. Serial killers can be highly prolific, or out of the oriented. With all the studies and interviews that have been conducted, most are prolific. I told Dahmer that he was one of the most prolific killers, and one of the luckiest. He was pulled over with suspicions of drunk driving. He had convinced the cop that everything was fine, even with plastic bags filled with half-eaten body parts in the backseat. The cop had even shined its light onto the bags, but he had still gotten away. Jeff had sneered in my direction. Narcissism; he was a professional in it. 

IHSS Anthropology Terms

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

- An example of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is how sexist language heavily influences our culture and stereotypes. It profoundly separates men and women. Examples of this sexist language are terms like "Mailman", "Fireman", "Policeman", etc... Many people could have a hard time understanding how just this barrier between men and women contributes to what is already such a segregated community. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is the idea that the language that people speak creates barriers between different cultures and how people view the world. In theory, the language we use shapes our overall views of the world. 

Ethnocentrism

-An example of Ethnocentrism is how Asian cultures all across Asia use chopsticks to eat their food. While Americans typically use Forks, Spoons, and Knives, they might find the use of chopsticks is unnecessary. Ethnocentrism means in simple terms, believing that your own nationality, culture, or ethnicity is superior to anybody else's. It is a feature in most cultures.