POP CULTURE MYTHOLOGY: STEVEN AVERY
Our culture has by and large lost a conventional sense of mythology, though we have not lost our hunger for it. We fill the void with a warped preoccupation of celebrities; we raise them to demigod status then eagerly watch as their Greek-like tragedies unfold in headlines.
The series “Making a Murderer” has reached mythological proportions, and by extension so has Steven Avery. We like symbols, we like symbols with faces even better, and now we’ve found a suitable stand-in for what we’re all feeling: Steven Avery, the Sisyphus in all of us.
It’s quite a story. Man spends 18 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit, man is exonerated, man sues the state, man winds up charged with murder. He rolled that boulder near the top of the mountain-it was all almost over, life back to normal-then it came rolling back down. It’s not his fault; he can’t get anywhere because he’s trapped under the oppressive thumb of the system, and, hey, can’t we all relate?
Before the first second of the first episode you’re already primed what the documentary is about. Your first clue was the cover photo: a split picture of Avery as a child and Avery in a mug shot with torn edges. The next clue was the title: “Making a Murderer”. Put it together, what do you have? Innocence being ripped away.
Sure, the documentary is full of slants, manipulations, and half-truths, but that’s not what made it successful. Americans aren’t suggestible dopes who mold their opinions to whatever they’re told. The opposite is true. “Making a Murderer” exploded in popularity because it confirmed what Americans already believed. We molded it to us.
When the series originally aired, people were convinced of his innocence. After the initial heat simmered, it was discovered that maybe he wasn’t so innocent after all. Then the matter of his guilt or innocence became moot. “So maybe he murdered Teresa Whatsherface, so what? What’s important is that the legal system is corrupt.”
Who told you it was corrupt? Was it the defense attorneys who are part of the legal system? You know, the ones from the documentary series that no one banned? Avery was wrongly imprisoned for 18 years, yes-and how do you think he got out? So, the legal system will do anything to uphold a conviction, except when it doesn’t. Got it. Hey, if you want to know what big-time government corruption is like, ask some North Koreans-oh wait, that’s right, you can’t.
Let’s back up a bit. Avery was wrongly convicted because he was poor and the rape victim was rich. Well, richer at any rate. Like, mid-to-upper-middle class at minimum. The police were just pressing for the case to be solved because the victim is so respectable-classic classism, so unfair. Then again, Teresa wasn’t rich, was she? Oh but wait, there was that lawsuit the police were mad about. They must’ve framed him for murder to get it to go away. Hold up, does being incarcerated mean you can’t pursue lawsuits? I don’t know. Let’s not check.
Maybe the police department was embarrassed and the frame up was more about proving that Avery wasn’t such a nice guy than saving money. But wait, they could've brought up the fact that before all of this, Avery was convicted of a bunch of other offenses, many of which he admits to, granted he minimizes the hell out of them (for the record: he was trying to throw the cat over the fire, and it just happened to catch on fire. Dosing it in gasoline was for the purpose of improved aerodynamics, as to allow the cat to coast safely overhead.)
Maybe it was simply out of hatred. They saw a chance to take him down, so they did. They never liked those Averys, toss in the air as to why, but that one incident really set them off. To be fair, that wasn’t his fault, he has a low IQ, so it’s understandable that he didn’t come up with any alternatives ways to cope with the situation. I mean, pointing a shotgun at an officer’s wife is pretty stupid, so I guess that checks out. Hatred explains it best, because who would be stupid enough to leave all that evidence everywhere, especially after just getting out of prison...? Too stupid to be culpable but smart enough to be above suspicion-man, I hope I have the same IQ as Avery.
Or maybe the police weren't actively out to get Avery, but their beliefs and biases distorted their view and clouded their judgment. Maybe they didn't even realize they weren't seeing things clearly... hm... who does that remind me of...? Anyway, that would be really bad, wouldn't it?
I like Avery’s defense attorneys; they did a good job on top of seeming like stand-up guys. Where the key was found and when seems sketchy, and there was a good argument as to why the primary burn site was a different part of the Avery property. Other than that, everything else seems to have been well countered by outside experts. “If the cops are crooked and one piece of evidence may be planted, that means all the evidence should be disregarded.” Right. I take it you were overjoyed with OJ’s not guilty verdict? There’s doubt and then there’s reasonable doubt.
This is all, of course, beside the point. The problem is larger than an anecdote with questionable validity being used as undeniable proof that the government can do whatever it wants whenever it wants. The problem is America’s narcissism has acquired new symptoms: externalization of blame, blind vindictiveness, and feeling that one is special and above the rules. It’s not our fault we can’t get ahead. The system is rigged against us. When it comes to “Making a Murderer”, no fact, logic, or theory can convince us to change our position because it’s not about Avery, it’s about us. We’re the ones who need to feel justified for our sense of victimization.
In reality, it’s impossible for the system to be against us; we are the system. The Averys, the Hallbachs, the police, the lawyers, the judges, the jury, the media, the viewers-they’re all us. We are a nation by the people for the people. Politicians suck? Ok, who voted for them? Mega corporations using their billions for evil? Who keeps handing them money? Poor people are suffering and can’t catch a break? Hey, is that a new iPhone you got there? Nice.
Our society is only as bad as we the people make it. The Founding Fathers believed in the people’s innate commitment to reason and the greater good. When we abuse that trust to pursue fantasy and self-interest, we are the only ones to blame for the result.
The trademark of narcissism: wanting all of the glory but none of the blame, all of the choice but none of the consequences. We have the power, and all the responsbility that comes with it.
I know. Freedom is scary.
The series “Making a Murderer” has reached mythological proportions, and by extension so has Steven Avery. We like symbols, we like symbols with faces even better, and now we’ve found a suitable stand-in for what we’re all feeling: Steven Avery, the Sisyphus in all of us.
It’s quite a story. Man spends 18 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit, man is exonerated, man sues the state, man winds up charged with murder. He rolled that boulder near the top of the mountain-it was all almost over, life back to normal-then it came rolling back down. It’s not his fault; he can’t get anywhere because he’s trapped under the oppressive thumb of the system, and, hey, can’t we all relate?
Before the first second of the first episode you’re already primed what the documentary is about. Your first clue was the cover photo: a split picture of Avery as a child and Avery in a mug shot with torn edges. The next clue was the title: “Making a Murderer”. Put it together, what do you have? Innocence being ripped away.
Sure, the documentary is full of slants, manipulations, and half-truths, but that’s not what made it successful. Americans aren’t suggestible dopes who mold their opinions to whatever they’re told. The opposite is true. “Making a Murderer” exploded in popularity because it confirmed what Americans already believed. We molded it to us.
When the series originally aired, people were convinced of his innocence. After the initial heat simmered, it was discovered that maybe he wasn’t so innocent after all. Then the matter of his guilt or innocence became moot. “So maybe he murdered Teresa Whatsherface, so what? What’s important is that the legal system is corrupt.”
Who told you it was corrupt? Was it the defense attorneys who are part of the legal system? You know, the ones from the documentary series that no one banned? Avery was wrongly imprisoned for 18 years, yes-and how do you think he got out? So, the legal system will do anything to uphold a conviction, except when it doesn’t. Got it. Hey, if you want to know what big-time government corruption is like, ask some North Koreans-oh wait, that’s right, you can’t.
Let’s back up a bit. Avery was wrongly convicted because he was poor and the rape victim was rich. Well, richer at any rate. Like, mid-to-upper-middle class at minimum. The police were just pressing for the case to be solved because the victim is so respectable-classic classism, so unfair. Then again, Teresa wasn’t rich, was she? Oh but wait, there was that lawsuit the police were mad about. They must’ve framed him for murder to get it to go away. Hold up, does being incarcerated mean you can’t pursue lawsuits? I don’t know. Let’s not check.
Maybe the police department was embarrassed and the frame up was more about proving that Avery wasn’t such a nice guy than saving money. But wait, they could've brought up the fact that before all of this, Avery was convicted of a bunch of other offenses, many of which he admits to, granted he minimizes the hell out of them (for the record: he was trying to throw the cat over the fire, and it just happened to catch on fire. Dosing it in gasoline was for the purpose of improved aerodynamics, as to allow the cat to coast safely overhead.)
Maybe it was simply out of hatred. They saw a chance to take him down, so they did. They never liked those Averys, toss in the air as to why, but that one incident really set them off. To be fair, that wasn’t his fault, he has a low IQ, so it’s understandable that he didn’t come up with any alternatives ways to cope with the situation. I mean, pointing a shotgun at an officer’s wife is pretty stupid, so I guess that checks out. Hatred explains it best, because who would be stupid enough to leave all that evidence everywhere, especially after just getting out of prison...? Too stupid to be culpable but smart enough to be above suspicion-man, I hope I have the same IQ as Avery.
Or maybe the police weren't actively out to get Avery, but their beliefs and biases distorted their view and clouded their judgment. Maybe they didn't even realize they weren't seeing things clearly... hm... who does that remind me of...? Anyway, that would be really bad, wouldn't it?
I like Avery’s defense attorneys; they did a good job on top of seeming like stand-up guys. Where the key was found and when seems sketchy, and there was a good argument as to why the primary burn site was a different part of the Avery property. Other than that, everything else seems to have been well countered by outside experts. “If the cops are crooked and one piece of evidence may be planted, that means all the evidence should be disregarded.” Right. I take it you were overjoyed with OJ’s not guilty verdict? There’s doubt and then there’s reasonable doubt.
This is all, of course, beside the point. The problem is larger than an anecdote with questionable validity being used as undeniable proof that the government can do whatever it wants whenever it wants. The problem is America’s narcissism has acquired new symptoms: externalization of blame, blind vindictiveness, and feeling that one is special and above the rules. It’s not our fault we can’t get ahead. The system is rigged against us. When it comes to “Making a Murderer”, no fact, logic, or theory can convince us to change our position because it’s not about Avery, it’s about us. We’re the ones who need to feel justified for our sense of victimization.
In reality, it’s impossible for the system to be against us; we are the system. The Averys, the Hallbachs, the police, the lawyers, the judges, the jury, the media, the viewers-they’re all us. We are a nation by the people for the people. Politicians suck? Ok, who voted for them? Mega corporations using their billions for evil? Who keeps handing them money? Poor people are suffering and can’t catch a break? Hey, is that a new iPhone you got there? Nice.
Our society is only as bad as we the people make it. The Founding Fathers believed in the people’s innate commitment to reason and the greater good. When we abuse that trust to pursue fantasy and self-interest, we are the only ones to blame for the result.
The trademark of narcissism: wanting all of the glory but none of the blame, all of the choice but none of the consequences. We have the power, and all the responsbility that comes with it.
I know. Freedom is scary.