It's Dangerous to be Different

We have talked in this class about how, when you are seen as "the other" your behaviors are more likely to be interpreted as deviant. That can be because your master status is non-white, or non-Christian. It is because you are "the other" that you are suspect.


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This was the case with the West Memphis Three. Maybe you have heard about this case. It has now been the subject of a trilogy of films, called the Paradise Lost series from HBO. These three young men (Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin) were suspected of, and eventually incarcerated for, the brutal murders of three young Cub Scouts in 1993. They did not commit the crime, but that did not seem to matter as the case unfolded. Their only "deviance" was not criminal at all--they were just different. They listened to Metallica, wore black clothing, and did not choose to follow mainstream trends. But they were the primary suspects, and the case became a witch hunt, with the agents of the local criminal justice system determined to find the young men guilty. They blamed the murders on the satanic rituals of the suspects, and got the community into a frenzy of beliefs about them, based on their appearance and musical taste.



When the first documentary was released, a lot of attention from the public and some celebrities followed. Johnny Depp, Peter Jackson and Eddie Vedder gave millions of dollars to help free the men, and a trust fund was set up to help provide financial support to the prisoners.

The three men were recently let out of prison--but with a pretty big hitch. They were forced to plead guilty. So now, the case is closed, and the real killers may never be caught, despite pleas from the parents of the murdered boys, and continued pressure from activists like Johnny Depp to keep searching. The 3rd film in the series chronicles this chapter in the story. The case is fascinating, and I highly recommend learning more about it.



Here is a recent NPR story about the release of the men from prison. It is an interview with the director of the three Paradise Lost films. You can listen or read.