Almost every time Netflix releases a documentary or a series about a serial killer, it receives so much recognition that it ends up becoming a trending topic for weeks. The Ted Bundy Tapes were one such major hit. The newest serial killer series that has taken the center stage is Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Unlike The Bundy Tapes, this series includes actors, with Evan Peters taking over the role of the serial killer. Peters has done such a phenomenal job with this role, that it makes the viewers binge-watch the series. In fact, this particular series is not something that one can’t take lightly, as it is too heavy to process.
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Why these series trend is definitely a question that is hard to answer. Perhaps, it is the people’s attempt at trying to understand the strange human minds that have the ability to convert someone into a real-life monster. While this is one central theme of this particular series, it is important to note how Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has much more to say about society than just about Dahmer himself. If one were to analyze the series, they would be able to recognize how the show emphasizes on several harsh realities of society back then and even today.
Discrimination Against Minority Communities, Especially the Black Community
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The show’s villain, Dahmer, might take the central role in the series, but there is one character who is seen as Dahmer’s foil and the heroine of the show. Glenda Cleveland, played by Niecy Nash, has won almost every viewer’s heart, and for good reason. Glenda is not only Dahmer’s neighbor, but she is also the only character who was suspicious of Dahmer, and was constantly trying to do something. However, Glenda’s many calls to the police, vocalization of her suspicions, and the ardent attempts to try to save Konerak Sinthasomphone (Kieran Tamondong), one of the youngest victims of Dahmer, go unheard and ignored. The show seems to emphasize the fact of the neighborhood being a Black majority area and Glenda being a Black woman, seems to be some underlying reasons why these white men wearing the uniforms seem to believe Dahmer, the weird yet white man, over this concerned woman.
This is then affirmed when Glenda’s daughter is arrested for breaking the camera of two white boys who were clearly trespassing and being tone-deaf. This arrest draws a huge contrast to Dahmer’s lack of arrests at the beginning. It goes on to show how society tends to not listen to the Black voices, which is something Glenda points out. Moreover, it is also important to note the questions Shirley Hughes (Karen Malina White) gets asked when she comes to report her son, Tony Hughes (Rodney Burford) is missing. It clearly shows the stereotyping of the Black community.
There are many incidents in the series that clearly indicate that the discrimination against the Black community is one reason which might have caused the delay in Dahmer’s arrest.
Additionally, the way in which the Sinthasomphone family is discriminated against due to the father’s lack of English-speaking ability and the way in which they are traumatized by inhumane and disgusting calls by the policemen (later revealed in the series) is yet another example of how the society treats the minority communities.
The Bias in the Police Forces
The police forces play a crucial role in any crime series, and it is no different in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. However, what makes their portrayal in this series interesting is that it goes on to reveal the bias within the forces. Clearly, a majority of the officers in the forces are white and thus, there seems to be an obvious bias within the forces. The way in which the two white officers who returned Konerak Sinthasomphone to Dahmer against Glenda’s concerns were not only re-posted after a few days of paid leave, but they were also celebrated as “heroes” by the Union. Interestingly, during this particular scene, the show cuts here and there to show how Glenda received an award for being a good citizen of Milwaukee. The contrast in these two events lies in how humble Glenda’s awarding is and how fancy and luxurious these two officers’ awarding is. There are so many messages this one scene sends out.
Problematic Sensualizing of Serial Killers
There has been an ongoing debate as to the way in which the series itself portrays Dahmer. On one hand, the show does explore some important themes. However, the show also seems to be sensualizing Dahmer to a certain extent. The way in which he was neglected and bullied as a child and cast aside makes the viewer sympathize with him. This is quite problematic. Chaney points out this argument in her review by stating:
Interestingly, the show also addresses how serial killers are sensualized by showing how Dahmer’s “fans” wrote to him and even sent him money. Thus, there are two ways in which this topic is addressed; one is within the show by portraying the “fans” and another is by the show itself, as it tends to maybe reason as to why Dahmer became a monster. Either way, it is definitely important to note that killers like Dahmer should not be sympathized with as there is no excuse for such brutal crimes.
When the stories of serial killers are sold to a murder-obsessed public and how hurtful it is when victims are diminished, but the show never figures out a way to avoid committing the same crime. You don’t get credit for lamenting the existence of a circus when you happen to be the ringmaster.
The Real Victims’ Families
While the creators have stated that the show was an “attempt to highlight the stories of the victims of Dahmer… the repercussions, it’s how society and our system failed to stop him multiple times because of racism, homophobia” there seems to be a lack in taking this route. In fact, many of the victims’ families have argued against the series as “they are getting re-traumatized by watching the same thing again, with some kids having emotional breakdowns.”
That being said, the show does attempt to illustrate the pains and sufferings the victims’ families have gone through. However, it is limited to a few episodes as a majority of the story focuses on Dahmer and his family. Thus, the arguments raised by the real families of the victims are valid, and it goes on to show how even after so many years, such inhumane acts have an everlasting effect. It might even cause trauma for generations. Moreover, such emotions and feelings can never be captured through a TV show as pain is subjective.
