Looking at the most-streamed movies or television shows on any given streaming service, it would be easy to assume that serial killers lurk behind every corner. The stories of Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy and the Boston Strangler still loom large––even if the likelihood that you’ll encounter another Zodiac Killer has never been lower. Since the 1970s and […]
Because that had nothing to do with it. If leaded gasoline caused serial killers, there would be a worldwide increase in the number of serial killers, but this isn’t the case.
This number of serial killers is unique to the US in this specific time period because, at that place, during that time, it was never easier to be a serial killer. Technology had progressed enough to give us cars, highways, guns, and ammo, but hadn’t progressed enough to give us nationwide databases, nationwide news, DNA science, or IDs that couldn’t be easily forged.
Only in this place, during this time, could someone kill multiple people, leave behind virtually no evidence, then move hundred of miles away under a fake name and repeat that process as many times as they wanted.
Anywhere else but the US, they would have to cross a national border, which would be tracked and documented and required documents that couldn’t be easily forged. Any other time in history, you either can’t move hundreds of miles easily, or forensic science has advanced enough to make it much more difficult to leave no evidence behind.
Come to think about it that “killing the person i hate and at the first sign of trouble running to start a new life elsewhere” is probably an ancient practice.
And once you done it once and have the survivorships-bias there are increased odds to do it again.
Because that had nothing to do with it. If leaded gasoline caused serial killers, there would be a worldwide increase in the number of serial killers, but this isn’t the case.
This number of serial killers is unique to the US in this specific time period because, at that place, during that time, it was never easier to be a serial killer. Technology had progressed enough to give us cars, highways, guns, and ammo, but hadn’t progressed enough to give us nationwide databases, nationwide news, DNA science, or IDs that couldn’t be easily forged.
Only in this place, during this time, could someone kill multiple people, leave behind virtually no evidence, then move hundred of miles away under a fake name and repeat that process as many times as they wanted.
Anywhere else but the US, they would have to cross a national border, which would be tracked and documented and required documents that couldn’t be easily forged. Any other time in history, you either can’t move hundreds of miles easily, or forensic science has advanced enough to make it much more difficult to leave no evidence behind.
Come to think about it that “killing the person i hate and at the first sign of trouble running to start a new life elsewhere” is probably an ancient practice.
And once you done it once and have the survivorships-bias there are increased odds to do it again.
What about other gigantic industrial nations like Canada and Australia?
You’d need the gun-nut culture to go with it I guess.
Other countries also had these problems, just less it seems