People are fascinated with a good crime story. If it involves a gruesome murder scene, people tend to be even more intrigued. Turn on the television and there are reporters at the crime scenes trying to get as much information as possible before the next reporter does. Newspapers make huge headlines when a local crime story takes place. Recently, the Amish schoolhouse shootings made for a tragic national crime story that absolutely ripped people's hearts out. The more details that emerged, the more the media went into a frenzy. Local residents who live daily with the Amish, were horrified to see all of the media that flocked to their neighborhoods. Suddenly, this crime story was all over the world and the last thing that the Amish wanted was for the publicity.
Perhaps what fascinates people the most is that a great deal of the crime stories that are now coming about, involve people that no one would have ever suspected. Again, the Amish school shootings were by a man who people said was a nice guy and you'd never suspect. However, he ended up having some deep-rooted issues afterall. No one can say for sure what makes a person suddenly go berserk and hurt others. No one ever really knows their neighbors and friends sometimes, and that is what makes a good crime story. Dozens after dozens of television shows have been created that focus on a crime story and capturing the bad guys. Hollywood has become another popular area for bringing a crime story to the screen and fabricating details and emphasizing the gory nature of the crime. Some of the best movies have involved a mystery to solve and a whodunit that leaves us guessing for days.
While a crime story is never something that people are happy to hear about, it really can bring people together. Perhaps a tragic event happens and suddenly a neighborhood is brought together. A child goes missing and complete strangers find themselves stepping forward to help aid in a search party. Human kindness and sympathy can display itself in times of need. It is unfortunate though, that a crime story is what it takes to draw some people closer to each other. America's Most Wanted is an example of something positive that happened out of a tragic event. The host, John Walsh, became such an advocate for "catching the bad guys" after his son's disappearance. Each week, he features a different crime story and asks the public for help. Since the airing of the show, nearly 1000 fugitives have been removed from society. Not every crime story will bring people together or have something good happen from the occurrence - but, we can always hope.
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