There are many anxieties about death, models of personalities, and expression of negative emotions. Death and aging are arguably two of the most feared aspects of life for Americans. Granted, it has not always been this way. In the history of America as a country, it is far from pacifism. If anything, America was built on the dead bodies of others. From Native Americans, to Blacks, to the armed forces. Death is seen nearly every single day, and over time has developed into a major fear. It is interesting and terrifying to see oneself as any other person. A stranger dying in an accident could have just as easily been you. That is a terrifying thought but at the same time, exhilarating. In that, we escape death every day and we are interested in knowing who else have been as lucky and similarity, who hasn’t. The fascination with criminals stems from this general assumption and is evident in the way that we express ourselves. As mentioned, Americans express negative emotions that serves as an explanation for our social need of criminal celebrities. These negative emotions come about in many ways in a single person’s life, from road rage to a bar brawl. Our rage is exhibited and acted upon in many situations and plays on the idea that we can still release these negative emotions, while still escaping …show more content…
48 Hours and 60 Minutes thrive on this type of entertainment. On any given night, there is an episode about some innocent all-American facing an abrupt death by homicide. This is intriguing to watch because we again are invited into the life of another individual who failed to escape death. We are fascinated in knowing how and why such a thing happened to them, so that we know what to avoid in the future. For an extreme but relatable example, we know now not to purchase a large life savings in the presence of another family member because they may just try and kill you. We also know that we should avoid going on mountain hikes with an abusive husband, because again, he just might try and kill you. These shows almost serve as alerts, for personalities and situations to avoid. 48 Hours and 60 Minutes aren’t the only shows that excite these attitudes. There is now an entire television network, Investigative Discovery (ID), that focuses on real life stories of homicidal crimes. America is distinct in that, this sort of recycling of crime stories is unique to this country. Americas culture is fascinated with death and with the addition of the media, will always