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When Does an Interest in Crime Become Grief Porn?
In a time when people are self-proclaimed “murderinos” and “true crime enthusiasts,” I think it’s fair to say that interest in crime stories and the macabre is not a quirky niche interest. True crime is increasingly mainstream, with podcasts and documentaries about crimes offering mass appeal.
True crime has always interested me, and I’ve spent a lot of time researching cases and trying to understand why bad things happen. In my time researching cases, I’ve come across some interesting and disappointing forums related to crime and sleuthing. All of this has led me to a big question. To what point is an interest in crime-related stories healthy? When does society’s interest in crime become merely an interest in grief porn?
Defining Mourning Sickness and Grief Porn
‘Mourning sickness’ is not a term I was familiar with before I did research for this article. I learned the term was coined following the 1996 Dunblane Massacre in Scotland, a mass shooting in which 17 people were killed, most of whom were young children. Many more were injured. Obviously, public outcry after a shooting is not unheard of, but the public grief of individuals who had no connection to the crime was intense.
