Passive audience theory: Dahmer

 
"Dahmer" is a Netflix series based on the life of Jeff Dahmer and his victims. Dahmer was a controversial series as people were convicted if it was telling the stories of the victims and their families or glorifying murder, making it glamorous and turning Jeff Dahmer into a celebrity. The series is very graphic and showed people being beaten, tortured and raped, This is necessary?

 

MORAL PANICS - STANLEY COHEN (1972): 

Dahmer prove Cohen theory as the series draw light issue like male serial killers targeting males, this is often overlooked as men are seen as strong, they can look after themselves. this causes panic because now people have see it happen they believe that this could happen.

 

HYPODERMIC SYRINGE - ADORNO/PACKARD (1979): 

This could be true for Dahmer as an audience watching may believe that all the events in the series are factual and treat the series as documentaries, but it is actual a drama. 

DESENSITISATION - CRAIG ANDERSON 2007: 

The is true for Dahmer as there is graphic and disturbing imager and the repeated and frequent viewing of this may change how a person perceives violence and how they react. It also could make a person think that these acts or ok and justifiable.

 

CULTIVATION THEORY - MEAN WORLD SYNDROME - GERBER AND GROSS (1979): 

Dahmer follows the theory of Gerber and Goss as it shows how ordinary people how don't do anything wrong and live an honest life can have horrific actions committed against them, this cause mean world syndrome because it shows that the world is unfair as terrible thing happen to good people.

 

LAURA MULVEY - The male gaze (1975): 

Dahmer challenger Mulvey's theory as there are very few women in the series and the women that are in the movies and mothers and sisters, they are never depicted as sex symbols but as strong and powerful as they fight for justice for their loved ones who have lost their lives. This theory is challenged because men are seen as the sex symbol and something that can be controlled and owned. 

EARP AND KATZ - equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence’(1999): 

Dahmer proves Earp and Kats point that men are pathologically in need to be in control and violence as Dahmer didn't have control when he was younger which made, he need to control when he was older that came out in violence. This was the only way he could find a way to control men.  

BUTLER (1993): 

This goes against what Butler thought about stereotypes as a series with may gay character such as Jeff Dahmer, being a serial killer is a gay stereotype also the other gay character goes against the theory as they are not flamboyant or feminine.