True Crime Content Has Gone Too Far

[@RachelOates]

To the people asking what I expected when I bought this: I’ve got this ‘cosy crime puzzles’ book of my own which contains stuff like logic puzzles who stole the fictional community theatre ticket sales, crosswords about famous detectives, code cracking puzzles, ciphers, that sort of thing. I assumed the ‘true crime’ name was a bit of a morally questionable gimmick to get people to buy it and wouldn’t actually contain illustrations of real life victims you could colour.

[@pinkrose8272]

Yeah that is a normal thing to expect I own an activity book that is called the mystery or crime activity book or something similar and it’s completely normal. No coloring pages, all the crimes in it are fake just fun cozy Miss Marple inspired mysteries set in a fictional town to solve (are are stuff like who stole the honey). That is the kind of thing to accept. Like something like what you got is unexpected and completely unacceptable.

[@dianehall2248]

Sure you thought the name was just a gimmick. You knew exactly what you were buying. You set up this whole fake situation just so you could do a virtue-signalling video. And if you think that adding "true crime" to a title is "morally questionable", then you have such high moral standards you can't even reach them. Of course we know this is likely all perfomative nonsense and you are in fact likely just looking for approbation for being a good and moral person by your viewers. You're a great example of the generation which has made being offended and morally outraged your one talent. EDIT: I've just seen your channel, and yes, you are a perfect example of how intersectional critical theory destroys all intelligence and turns people into social justice obsessed zombies, so your your fake moral outrage and performative shock at buying a book you allegedly thought would be something else are completely understandable. Your type is a dime a dozen these days. You're going to lose the culture war, just so you know. By the way, you hear they might be freeing Derek Chauvin? I bet that annoys you. 😂 Out of interest, did your nappy survive Trump's electoral victory?🤣

[@Sleipnirseight]

Yooo what the actual f*ck???! I am very interested in learning about true crime cases, but as a way to advocate for victims and neglected cases, to learn how justice systems work and how they are broken, the larger cultural landscape that contributes to hate crimes (including the global epidemic of femicide), to learn the warning signs of dangerous people, how to survive and help others.... But the people who commit these horrific crimes deserve nothing but shame and disdain, and don't deserve to have their names even remembered. I am so disgusted to hear that anyone is creating or knowingly supporting content/merchandise that glorifies monsters and mocks victims. Thank you for calling this out.

[@alexwixom4599]

OMG! My mom tries to do this with biggitoed content she watches. She says it's innocent and to protect herself but she looks like she's just oggeling out if a some superiority complex because she's so disgusted by it.

[@alexwixom4599]

​@@Sleipnirseight thanks for sharing. Those are aspects I didn't think about. A lot of times people just need the right encouragement to be educated on a subject. So I see how true crime can be a conduit to that. However, the media would rather us be perpetually uninformed and captivated by the spectacul.

[@vinnienanda]

The fact that people still sexualise Dahmer still distubs my mind to a whole new level.

[@alisonmercer5946]

People are terrifying

[@Katie2986]

@@vinnienanda I still have nightmares about the things he did from the bits I couldn’t avoid overhearing on the news at the time.

[@Meggzilla]

Right, he's not even attractive firstly. Secondly, the majority of the people that are fangirling are women. Did they just completely miss the fact that he's gay and would have 0 interest in them even if he wasn't murdered in prison after murdering MULTIPLE people. I think a lot of the red flag garbage people are currently going on about is ridiculous, but... Maybe Dahmer is a bit red flaggy?

[@ombrenightcores]

Also, the fact that they’re usually women. Even if he weren’t a serial killer, he wouldn’t want you

[@vinnienanda]

@@ombrenightcores I agree, I think it's a lot to do with the glorification of the 'Bad-Boy' type of guys.

[@karaleecupcake]

My grandpa was a homocide detective for a serial killer case, and one of the victims he found was his cousin. It impacted him so much that he took his own life. To imagine someone coloring the killer or answering a "fun" trivia question is horrible.

[@ricebeansrockroll882]

That's horrible, I'm so sorry he had to go through that, and your families loss.

[@RachelOates]

That’s awful, I’m so sorry :(

[@dianehall2248]

No it's not. You might not like it, but that's because it has emotional proximity to you. It does not have this for your average consumer of this product, and there is no onus on them or the book's creator to change their activities or products because of the emotional proximity it has to you. If it is public knowledge, it is public knowledge, and they are allowed to consume or publish said knowledge, or base products upon it.

[@ARS0NW4SH3R3]

@@dianehall2248just because it’s public knowledge doesn’t make it right to monetize real events that affected real people and victims.

[@DorianMatt]

@@dianehall2248You clearly have equated something being legal with that thing being ethical, when the two are NOT the same. Just because it is legal to profit off of other people’s anguish in this way, does not mean it isn’t ethically bankrupt and cruel. People seriously need to stop basing morality on whether or not they’re “allowed” to monetize a thing; capitalism is an inherently exploitative system in and of itself, as it places the prioritization of profit over the well being of people and other living things.

[@sebastianargote7494]

So I looked up the author of this "activity" book, and he's got a whole series of serial killer coloring books, including a COCKTAIL RECIPE BOOK with drinks "inspired" by famous serial killers. The cover has Ted Bundy and H.H. Holmes dressed up as quirky bartenders. This author has absolutely no shame, disgusting.

[@Amira_Phoenix]

Could've been a decent book without the killers, why!🤦

[@OopsIDidItAgainUh]

I too checked it out on Amazon and it has 4.4 stars??? And get this, I specifically checked the 1 and 2 star reviews in hopes that they are genuine criticism of the content of this book, and almost all the complaints are about the spelling and grammar mistakes.

[@RachelOates]

Oh no. I wish I’d thought to look it up more before buying it for a joke prize 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@dianehall2248]

No, he just finds serial killers interesting and cool. It doesn't mean he is a horrible or disrespectful person. By the same token you could accuse Agatha Christie of being insensitive because some people who might read her books might also have had similar crimes befall them or their loved ones. It's no worse than having games which involve shooting people, or games set in various wars, or for that matter movies set in various historical epochs which weren't nice. In fact, if you are genuinely upset about the author dressing up as H.H. Holmes then you are going to be upset about people dressing up as pretty much anything from history. If you are genuinely upset about this author because of this, then I'm afraid the issue is that you are hung up on your own sense of morality, rather than anything else. Generation Triggered strikes again. I suppose you've written to see if they will stop selling his books?

[@dianehall2248]

@@RachelOates Did you seriously buy it as a joke prize, and then find it so immoral in its treatment of true crime that you had to make a video about it? If you already have an issue with true crime stuff not being respectful enough, then why would you buy something like that as a joke prize? How would it even be jokey, regardless of your stance on true crime. Be honest, you bought it so that you could make a video to criticise the perceived lake of empathy in it, and thereby make a point of how empathetic and moral you are. People like you are a dime-a-dozen. Virtue-signalling is really not very becoming.

[@Hav3n]

that's actually the most disturbing thing people do, making serial killers pop culture "idols?"??😭 WHY JUST WHY

[@Sableagle]

Yeah, people worship New York landlords, Austria painters, Darth Vader, the Punisher, Batman, Batman villains, serial killers, Confederate officers, Sauron, even Members of Parliament.

[@pencilpauli9442]

I don't get it, either. This will be a controversial take because I know it's a popular genre, but I can't bring myself to watch films that glamourise gangsterism.

[@erikdaniels0n]

@sableagle not the Austrian painters 😭😭

[@drtaverner]

And forget the names of victims like Kristen French or Leslie Mahaffy.

[@benamisai-kham5892]

Still actually gross that Issei sagawa became a star in japan after commiting quite a heinous crime and walking free bc of incompetence in the laws. Why are we trying to normalize killers in society while pushing the victims aside??? (Ik its for money but that doesn't detract from it being fucked up)

[@marurumeru]

"Chilling vibes" next to the question about rape is just another level of being tone-deaf. This book got me laughing in disbelief.

[@Ann963]

Laughing can be a stress reaction, as it releases relaxing chemicals in the brain, and boy that was very true in this video. 😅😢

[@dianehall2248]

Then don't buy the book. Simple as that. If your morals can't stand it, then why push the envelope?

[@333scy]

@@dianehall2248 they aren't buying or preventing others from buying the book, they're critiquing its contents. if you think true crime is public knowledge n people should be allowed to put out true crime videos whether or not its disrespectful or re-traumatizing to the people involved why do you care so much when someone gives criticism? isn't that the same thing? the video/book/wtv is public property and people can talk about it however they want whether or not they bought it. if you're so against critique of true crime content creation why are you watching videos of and replying to people who critique it? just dont? click out of the video? watch something else?

[@GalaxyStarLily]

@@dianehall2248heaven forbid we critique the blatant glorification of horrific crimes 🙄

[@chickenfoot2423]

@@dianehall2248sometimes something is so morally wrong that you want it to flat out not exist. simply not participating is not enough

[@drtaverner]

I was involved in Marine Search and Rescue. Two teenagers we looked for as "missing persons" turned out to be murder victims. Nobody knows their names, but everone knows their killers. It upsets me.

[@Sleipnirseight]

This. It's so backwards that we don't focus attention on the victims and instead give the monsters a weird sense of glory with all the notoriety they get. I have to imagine that if victims were centered instead of their mu'rderers, there would be at least a slight drop in crimes

[@emdove]

Can you share their names? I understand if you don't want to, since it's close to you and people might look up the story. Just asking cause I'd try to carry them in my heart.

[@AA-yd8kz]

I once had a customer with very high quality photorealistic tattoos of serial killers on her arms, it was so jarring and I couldn’t wait for her to leave. That’s a sort of admiration I could never even start to wrap my mind around

[@alisonmercer5946]

Right? Thats gross

[@resourcedragon]

@@ville-c4u: I checked your channel and other than misogynistic posts, you _don't make_ any content.

[@dianehall2248]

I bet you didn't actually care. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you told her they were cool.

[@333scy]

@@dianehall2248 diane you dont know this person go back to watching stephanie soo or something

[@Bats956]

@@dianehall2248well someone’s got their panties in a twist..

[@imnotirish3221]

I used to visit a Reddit group that discussed the ethics of true crime media. Someone posted photos of a serial killer coloring book they had found. The image that stood out to me was a picture of Albert Fish eating babies. I had to look up who that is. Then I was literally sick to my stomach.

[@headerahelix]

that's beyond the pale... awful.

[@RachelOates]

Oh what the hell?! Why would anyone make that??

[@julajezupe]

What's the name of the group?

[@imnotirish3221]

@@julajezupe Morbidforbadpeople It's mostly a group to call out the podcast Morbid for doing things like calling Charles Manson hot or making a joke about a victim's arm getting chopped off.

[@Char10tti3]

just joined, Im also loving that the "bad people" subreddit is a reaction to the "morbid for nice people" subreddit just being for only positive views of the show - even in terms of podcasting they've had plenty of scandals. I only started listening last year and realised how much there is. I was into true crime documentaries as a kid, but the playing podcasts off for laughs and labelling it as comedy is really fucked up. ​@@imnotirish3221

[@endtruecrimepodsLarge-g1k]

I’m a long time viewer of you, but I had to create a profile to protect my privacy. Someone in my family was murdered by a serial killer. Color me surprised when I saw someone discussing an event that marked my childhood forever while she had big meal as a podcast. I mean, who expects a childhood wound to be the subject of a podcast? Over nuggets, fries, a big drink and a ✨dessert✨. She was so casual about my family. She was lightheaded about the murders. She stoped and chatted about the crispy food and dipped the fries in extra sauce. She talked about my loved one like she knew them. She mispronounced family members names. Flashes up pictures of my family member I had never seen. Posted up pictures of my family. Then I read the comments. They romanticized the monster that did it, critiqued my family, and sat on high horses about everything. At the end, she talked about her merch. There are families behind crimes. Thanks for your hard work. Love your channel. I ask your followers to not search my account as it will not be used again.

[@marywynne7931]

Wow, that sounds like a tacky and dehumanizing thing for that podcaster to do. As someone who lost a family member, I'd hate for some random stranger to commodify that family member's death or use it for likes and views. Your trauma should never have been used for entertainment. Social media is making people forget that others are also people.

[@starparodier91]

I can’t imagine how triggering and surreal that must’ve been! There was a case that happened several years ago and I remember feeling like the person covering the story was basically blaming the victim and it made me not watch them anymore. Two years ago I made some new friends online. My one friend posted about how they missed their cousin and shared a hashtag and some pictures, and I immediately realized the case that one person made a video of years ago was about my friend’s cousin. I think some people forget that these are real people with families who may come across the content they make. I feel bad that I ever even watched a video about my friend’s cousin and I’m sure there were details mentioned they don’t even know about and it made me much more aware of what and who I watch.

[@noblesshorts]

woah. are you alright? i hope you are. you and your family did NOT deserve to go through such a harrowing experience AND a humiliating one with that podcast.

[@Jo_Langston]

that sounds horrible! i hope you and your family are doing alright after that but it's genuinely awful that the creator and their followers would be so disrespectful towards the victim, you, and your other family members.

[@padmasa]

Reminds me very much of the young woman who was raped and then saw a version of what happened to her on Law and Order. She wrote an article... Somewhere. Sorry, I forget, but the situation is utterly fucked. Thank fuck in real life the man who attacked her was convicted.

[@brunetteartist24]

The tone of the activity book would be suitable if it was just about fictional characters or just made up scenarios but the colouring pages and questions make it look like that wont be macabre enough It scares me there's enough of a market for this kind of thing to be so commodified

[@starparodier91]

I’m sure there’s already one but if it was all about horror movie/game/tv show killers etc and trivia and stuff about that- I’d probably buy it. Sure, it could be a bit morbid but at least it’s not about real people.

[@laighacamren3061]

What makes me so mad is people who don't think there is a difference between fictional murders and real-life murders.

[@TMJW]

All the times I’ve complained about how grotesque this “fandom” is and it’s always “don’t yuck people’s yum” and now look where we are. This is profiting off of other people’s pain, it’s parasitic. Anyone who enjoys this should be ashamed.

[@TamelaRedfin]

I agree. Those were real people who were murdered in cold blood. It's not fiction, it fact.

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

Yeah the whole 'YOu're just kink-shaaming' was gaslighting to the highest degree. NOT WHEN IT HURTS/TRIVIALIZES ACTUAL PEOPLE!

[@JaylukKhan]

"Don't yuck people's yum" should be about problematic FICTION. Like if you genuinely enjoy 50 Shades of Grey or something. Not real serial killers.

[@makaylat.7005]

i always believe that the “dont yuck other peoples yums” should only apply when no harm is being done. a LOT of true crime content especially this book creates active harm for the families of victims and the memory of the victims themselves

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

@makaylat.7005 We're in this spiral because we DIDN'T yuck the 'yums' when it was VERY APPARENT there were problems. At a point you have to stop and admit there's something muffed up going on and call it out and NOT be gaslit by people trying to excuse their obvious and very harmful behavior. Being interested in crime and the process? Cool. CELEBRATING and GLORIFYING mur--- and the people who commit them? Naw, drop that and stop. That ain't healthy at all.

[@yeeyeeyeeye]

I used to engage with true crime shows and creators, but I have stopped because of how often the genre disrespects the still living victims and also because my fiancé's dad was m*rdered when he was young. After finding out about that, I just couldn't get into it anymore. Thinking about someone callously gossiping about the person who affected his life at such a young age and still does as an adult makes me angry. I've switched to learning about cryptids and spooky stories instead, and I recommend it as a great alternative.

[@Zectifin]

yeah I used to watch stuff like unsolved mysteries as a kid. I found it interesting. People doing unserious podcasts and getting tattoos of serial killers have ruined it for me. And I hate when you criticize it and people try to defend it by calling you sexist.

[@BeforeOurCrime]

This is why I've started to try and gravitate towards creators who are advocates and use their platforms for good. They don't sensationalize or do any of the other bad stuff other creators have done (I'm using Bailey Sarian as an example)

[@zammmerjammer]

"I've switched to learning about cryptids and spooky stories instead" -- time to get into The X-Files!

[@optiquemusic6204]

It sounds like slasher movies from the 70's and 80's did more harm than good in the long term. By that, I mean that they came from a time where more realistic horror (ie, serial killers) was being captured on film and invariably popularised. Then there was this snowball effect where more and more people learned what inspired these movies - that's what led us to True Crime. It's one thing to be fascinated by it, but when you start romanticising it, taking it less seriously in the process, then you have a problem. So, it's no wonder you've come to reject realistic horror and returned to the the classic, fantastical horror: for you, it's ghosts and cryptids; for me, vampires and demons. I hope you get what I'm talking about and don't think I'm just as insensitive as these TC fanatics.

[@ekatlind]

Same here. When I was younger, I was captivated by the mystery and drama of such content. In recent years I’ve realized how disturbing, depressing, and disrespectful this genre of content is. The channels that do makeup while discussing horrific crimes especially seems gross. The victims deserve to be recognized and remembered. My great aunt was murdered when she was about my age now, 26, leaving her daughters orphaned. I would feel outraged if someone made a video or some other sort of content about her killer, profiting off of it and not giving her respect and recognition.

[@poxidog]

This is gonna be brought out by historians in 150 years to show how insane we all were, like the books on victorian hair crafts

[@AstridLys]

Only that Victorian Hair Crafts are actually fun/harmless

[@RachelOates]

@@AstridLysand some Victorian hair crafts were things like making jewellery out of the hair of your deceased loved ones to remember them by, so it’s quite sweet in a way! I saw some beautiful pieces in a tiny museum in Harrogate the other year!

[@cjb2749]

It's not just "making light," it's like a freshman level study guide for people who dream of becoming a famous murderer! On my first day of college, my nutrition professor handed out these cheeky food group activity/coloring books that were full of hidden facts, which we needed to find and study for the quiz at the end of the week. It was meant to capture our interest and get us involved. That's what this book feels like to me. Like an introduction to coursework. The fact that it's even available to buy is extremely concerning

[@YouveBeenMegged]

That was my exact thought upon seeing the “name a thing that can help destroy evidence for every letter of the alphabet” bit. Like, that’s some study guide bullshit right there. Seriously, who greenlit that?!

[@justkiddin84]

Right, there have been some SK’s who literally got apprentices and taught them. And made notes for them, etc. It’s horrifying.

[@sirdidymus24]

The title terrified me because I got my mom a true crime activity book for Christmas… but thank goodness it’s not the same! The one I bought is more about solving cases and being a detective through crosswords, cryptograms, and other puzzles and doesn’t use real crimes, only fictional ones. She’s afraid of getting Alzheimer’s so she’s doing puzzles all the time. How I wish the book in this video was just dark satire … but there’s so much detail and care put into the trivia and art, I fear it’s actually not made in jest. 🤢

[@AliCatDarling]

Just to put this out there, if your mom is afraid of developing Alzheimer's, something that can help, oddly enough, are video games. I recall studies with Angry Birds and Super Mario 64 that both showed to help prevent cognitive decline. Basically, platformers or games that rely on depth perception seem to have some efficacy.

[@RachelOates]

Yess! I just left a pinned comment before reading this but this is exactly what I was expecting! I have a ‘Cosy Crimes Puzzles’ book / magazine made by Puzzler that is all based on fictional crimes and the focus is mostly on the detectives, not the criminals, and solving the crimes, cracking codes, logic puzzles. And it’s all fictional. That’s what I was expecting but with a slightly more morally ambiguous title!

[@sirdidymus24]

@@AliCatDarling thank you so much for recommending this! I will definitely let her know/get it to her. She has an iPad and iPhone so she definitely has easy access to Angry Birds. Thank you for your thoughtful reply. It means a lot. I hope you have a great holiday if you celebrate!

[@seagaulle]

I actually got one of those but it’s about a real person… that being Nikola Tesla. It’s fun but it’s also very respectful as you learn a lot about his life and I recommend it.

[@vicwunder3062]

Does your mom like to knit? Apparently, knitting also helps preventing alzheimers!

[@Katie2986]

Close family friends lost a son to a horrific psychopathic murderer decades ago when I was a teenager. I have stumbled upon it being covered on YT, including a reenactment that gives me nightmares (though I watched all of 10 seconds of it), several times and it outrages me. I’m only glad his parents, and likely his siblings, are gone and spared the horror of social media using the worst things anyone can go through for entertainment.

[@justkiddin84]

‘Re-enactments’ should not be used in any TC content. It is not needed. It is pandering victims’ suffering for really awful sadistic ‘people.’

[@Katie2986]

@justkiddin84 absolutely

[@Mila28.06]

I used to be a huge true crime fan. I dont know why but all of it intrigues me and Im also currently in college omw to become an investigator. I stopped watching it exactly because of it becoming weirdly lighthearted and treated like a tv show. Its real people, not content. Eating, doing makeup, making crime related merch is sick. Huge respect to creators who help the victims by working with their families to get the story about smaller cases out and collecting money for them (Kendall Rae).

[@kaykaysims9461]

I can relate. I've been interested in true crime for the psychology behind all parties involved. But more importantly, for the victims. I primarily go for documentaries or Law and Crime network etc because of how many people take advantage of true crime stories while eating, doing makeup, showing off their newest whatever. It's so disgusting. I want to hear about the families and what was done to help them after a traumatic event. I don't want to hear about some douche and HOW they killed. What about the family/community that was affected.

[@resourcedragon]

Kendall Rae actually had a big spit a few years ago about some creators who do missing person stories precisely because there are real families that are missing members.

[@dianehall2248]

@@kaykaysims9461 Do you seriously expect people to believe that you are interested in true crime not because of the crime, but because of empathy for the victims? Wow, that's some unbelievable virtue signalling you've got going on there.

[@dianehall2248]

If you're studying this sort of thing, are you sure you didn't lose your interest in true crime content simply because it began to feel very amateur to you, and because you had access to more detailed and more professional materials via your course?

[@kaykaysims9461]

@@dianehall2248 Yep, you're so right. Thank you for your insight.

[@justinmegibben4909]

Sometimes we are so far removed from our fears we embrace them out of modern boredom.

[@khill8645]

I don't think it's boredom, but an attempt at diversion -- a distraction that allows them to, even unintentionally, distance themselves from those fears

[@jommisalami]

I went on Etsy looking for a Jeff the Killer mask bc I'm huge into creepypasta. Apparently the search terms "jeff" and "killer" also brought up a terrifying amount of Jeffery Dahmer stuff, including a Dahmer themed cutting board with some distasteful quote engraved into it that I've thankfully forgotten since. I've also seen a scented candle named "smells like Dahmer lives here" and some wall art thay said "eat me like Dahmer" like wtf bro.

[@j00j00_bee]

I’ve seen stuff similarly to that, and I’m always so horrified. Like, I saw “valentines” on my fb feed once that had stuff like the “eat me like..”. It was shocking and horrifying. I’m like “eat me like Lecter” or smth is right there for people to use. It’s morbidly funny without being disrespectful to REAL people. I’m all for horror movie bad guys but real people is horrible.

[@Keznen]

So you're into bad creepypastas, then? Jeff the Killer was moved to Trollpasta Wiki years ago because of how utterly terrible it is.

[@CallM3B33pMe]

​@Keznen Really, that's what you got from this comment? Criticizing people's personal taste in creepypastas? 😅

[@jommisalami]

@Keznen I'm not trying to be rude but this comment made me laugh 😭 Ofc it's terrible lmao

[@Keznen]

@@CallM3B33pMe If your taste is poor, it's begging to be called out. JTK is objectively poor quality in every way.

[@brionna422]

9:42 It was bugging me until you said that! That book wasn't made for the people who listen to true crime, and discuss the cases online. It's specificly for the hybristophiliacs that are all over these killers!! That's why the sections you've shown are all so unhinged. The audacity for a company to make that is out the roof!!

[@lovecatxx]

I'm someone who is in to True Crime. It was a Special Interest as a teenager and I've been watching related documentaries since I was a child. I'm almost 33 now. This is abhorrent. True Crime isn't 'fun'. I find it interesting from the point of view of finding out about how very different people to me function. That's the best way I can put it. I don't think it's 'cute' or 'edgey' - both of those approaches are rubbish. Serial Killers are not to put on pedestals. We should learn from these happenings. Framing it like this is disgusting.

[@MissingmyBabbu]

Yeah, this is also the reason I enjoy reading/learning about crimes and killers. It's interesting to see how different life circumstances and mental states (not illnesses- being mentally ill or disabled in any way doesn't = being more likely to be a killer, that's silly) lead to different outcomes. I like thinking about why two people with near-identical traumas to me turn out so differently. Or how people who had seemingly idyllic childhoods turn out to be brutal killers and such. I think if we try to learn from these crimes, we can help future victims, or ideally prevent there from BEING more victims if possible. I never understood people who watch it like fun gossip, or how someone can idolize or romanticize a killer. They're people who caused serious harm. We shouldn't be 'stanning' them, we should be condemning them, and doing what we can to make sure there's never any more people like them (as in, violent criminals and murderers). Some of the content around True Crime just misses the entire point of what we should be taking away from these incidents. Not to mention the rather gruesome way they treat victims and their families.

[@BooksToAshes]

I like listening to True Crime from time to time, but I can only listen to a small amount. It makes me incredibly sad, anxious and sick to my stomach at times. I cannot FATHOM how it can be made into a cute, fun exciting thing for people, especially enough to make a “fun” book like that. Wtf!? I think people too easily separate real people and emotions for enjoyment, not considering there are real families and people behind it (or they just don’t care)

[@pahvi3]

I interact with true crime content this way too, and I don't consider it particularly healthy. It makes me feel horrible, I don't know why I do it. I just sometimes get stuck consuming content that I find intriguing but horrible. A milder example is reading some insane comment threads on social media, I just get mad, yet I read it.

[@BooksToAshes]

@ this sounds identical to me in every way. I think for me it’s a grim fascination with things I fear. Not healthy at all, hence why I haven’t listened to anything for a while, but it happens time to time and I can’t pinpoint it either. Also, totally agreed on comments sections. They’re infuriating.

[@pahvi3]

@@BooksToAshes It's definitely something like that. I certainly have many fear/anxiety based behaviours

[@darkstarr984]

@@BooksToAshesYeah it’s mostly an anxiety and fascination thing

[@thecrispymaster]

I find true crime interesting, but the culture around it kind of freaks me out honestly. Like I watch people like dreading and Dave's Lemonade and the lesson I take out of these videos is that the killers aren't people to be revered, they're mostly just losers who cut short the lives of real people who never deserved to die for their own selfish reasons. The interesting parts are how these people are caught and often how it's the very flaws that allowed them to kill in the first place that end up being their undoing (laziness, arrogance, greed etc.) I cannot for the life of me fathom why you would romanticise these people or buy merch with the face of a serial killer on it. It just sort of treats people's lives like you would a character in a tacky soap opera.

[@laighacamren3061]

This is basically why I consider professionally produced true crime shows like Forensics Files or Don't F*ck with Cats to be different than TCC. They're told with a purpose. Showing how criminals can't get away so easily because tech is getting better or how our obsession is making crime worse is a lot different than just "oh let me do this for money" though those shows did make money. I was a former crime journalist and the utter lack of any ethics standards in the TCC appalls me

[@Julieseven]

There are very few true crime creators who actually do it to bring attention to cases and focus on the victims. The only one I watch is "dreading," a channel run by two brothers who do a phenomenal job. They cover cases with a lot of genuine concern for the victims and their families. Imo that's the only right way to go.

[@BoxOKittens]

yeah that channel is good. A similar one I could name off the top of my head is 'dave's lemonade'. He focuses mostly on the court case, and he always makes sure to end the video with victim impact statements and words from the victim and/or their loved ones. It's sad that this kind of empathy and respect is becoming more rare in true crime.

[@Leader7353]

I think Unseen is also a good one. It focuses more on the victims and victims families.

[@samuell.foxton4177]

The Misery Machine is my favourite

[@singularlyinepthuman]

Disturban is good as well.

[@DesolatedChild018]

A channel that does focus on the killers but I like is Matt Orchard - Because he basically exposes how wormlike and worthless scumbags in great detail. To me that’s even more effective than portraying them as “scary monsters”, because would be copycats would love the power that being “a scary monster” would give them, regardless of morality. But being laughed at as vermin, that will be in jail and subsequently forgotten, does removes that power element.

[@kaylaanderson2391]

I thought this when watching a cheesy slasher recently. Found out halfway through it was inspired by a real killer from the 80s and it made me so uncomfortable because of how lighthearted the movie was. It was kind of a bad horror comedy, but the people who made it said they were inspired by real murders. The family members are still alive, friends of those people. It's just really poor taste to try to turn something so tragic into something that's "for funsies". There needs to be a line we don't cross when it comes to this stuff. Coloring books, horrors made for giggles and mukbangs talking about someone's brutally murdered relative should not be considered normal. People have become so desensitized that they forget there are people still being effected by these crimes and how horrific they really were.

[@ey_is_me777]

and people love to defend it. when it comes to this and rape/SA, victims are never truly respected and it makes me enraged.

[@whitneymiller3809]

8:13 I would have expected maybe crime facts and mystery related stuff (like Clue). I HATE when I can't see inside the coloring books so I will stand there in the store and look up what the images look like to see if it's worth buying.

[@darkstarr984]

Yeah I thought it might be that. This… I hope I don’t get it

[@StellarPhantomX]

it is outrageous and disgusting how ppl romanticise these monsters

[@TamelaRedfin]

But...but... uwu sad boy we made up. I want to play with this idea a bit myself. Two childhood friends, and one is a serial killer forcing the other to join. I want to show the side true crime misses, the victims and their families.

[@quandaredevil]

the other night my sister was talking about how two women in her neighborhood were murdered and then their house was set on fire, and the perpetrator also abducted one of their infant daughters. my step dad’s coworker is the one taking care of the kids now because she was very close with the family. it kept me up that night and what made it worse was that in this day and age those women could end up being talked about on a crappy podcast with an ad read, and that fills me with so much rage and despair on their behalf. they had a loving family and friends and their own children. their death has been tragic for a lot of people. I can’t stomach the thought of them being exploited for profit.

[@Cat-li6hh]

I am a consumer of true crime content but this true crime activity book is horrifying. It’s disrespectful, cruel, and lazy. The true crime content I watch, even the ones with makeup, would never do anything to disrespect the victims or praise their killers. I don’t understand how this kind of thing gets made and published. The game night thing overall seems like such a fun activity! Your friends are lucky to have you!!

[@BoxOKittens]

Agreed. There are a few really good respectful ones, and it's sad that they're so overshadowed by all this trash.

[@legendaryfrog4880]

I think most people that would buy this coloring book or similar books unironically are so far removed from the reality of the horrifying trauma that they're able to consume without guilt or concern. It only happens "elsewhere" in "bad areas" so it's "never" going to happen to them.

[@RealityHasAWokeBias]

Your creature snoring in the background absolutely cracked me the hell up 😂 Great video, this shit is definitely unhinged

[@TheGood888]

I'm someone who occasionally writes about NSFL lost media, including relating to true crime. I do my best to talk about the topics in a comprehensive and respectful manner. Crucially, there is no profit motive involved (nor to seek such media out!!). I do wonder whether the commodification of true crime has hurt the respectful documentation part of the genre.

[@Gypsyismyspiritanimal]

Honestly, a themed party with Rachel seems like the funnest thing ever. 🥺

[@onceuponamelody]

100% I agree that true crime content is way over the top. Little to no respect for the victims, and putting serial killers on a pedestal. However, as someone that used to work in a book store, these kinds of coloring/activity books for adults are sooooo common. (Like for Colleen Hoover's books, and more.) The companies that make these are usually based in Asia, and just make them for a quick buck for the publisher. We used to get sooo many in stock where I worked, and people barely ever bought them. But, we would buy them wholesale for less than 50 cents a piece. So if we did sell even one, that was a $10+ profit on that one coloring book. It's insane.

[@mkultrasubjectofthemonth]

the fact there's a literal nazi symbol in this book as well

[@renessance7729]

I've thought along these lines for so long! We've become so desensitised to the fact that it's real people, with real lives and people who love them to the point that we hideously decide whether a victim's brutalisation, rape and murder is entertaining and "twisty" enough to engage with. So gross. I saw a child engaging with a true crime activity book and it triggered me hard! Also, you are friendship goals!

[@mrssherlockasy4236]

I love colouring books, I enjoy colouring a lot. I once saw a colouring book about true crime with pictures of real life killers on Vinted. I reported it and Vinted answered me they didn't see the problem and I had to rereport it for them to take it down mentioning the book was based on real life killers and how it was disrepectful for the families. I found this book so tasteless.

[@gabriellafrantz7486]

01:12 I HEARD A DOGGY SNORING, BUT I DIDN'T SEE A DOGGY SNORING, RACHEEEEEL

[@RachelOates]

Sorrrryyyyy, she was under the table having a pre-party snoooooze!

[@lilacheart_]

there’s SO many fictional killers to use instead! coloring book of mike myers’s? might be a tad weird but not hurting anyone!!

[@kismetcaffet9862]

"The Serial Killer Activity Book for Aspiring Serial Killers" Seriously, "Make a kill list"?!?

[@Amira_Phoenix]

The editor of that book would make the top of the list

[@HakaYonder]

When the anime Death Note was popular, writing down names of people you dislike in a black notebook inspired by the show was semi-popular thing for edgy teenagers to do. Didn't expect to ever see a sequel to that.

[@TamelaRedfin]

I hope those lists get retroactively given to the authorities. Because that just took me out.

[@ladylarry75]

as an autistic person, my hyperfixation throughout most of my 38 years of life has been true crime, but not glorifying it, this book is pretty darn distasteful. (actually a lot of true crime content is like that now, i am pretty particular about the creators i follow because it should be about education and remembering those who were harmed)

[@MsPurji313]

So, I own this. It was a gift from a coworker. I go through colouring books like a terror and it has been a year and a half with that one untouched. It has a special sort of uncomfortable vibe that is not conducive to chill booze colouring times, for sure. I think it is the "activities" that freak me out the most. They are still written like they are talking to a kid. It is bizarre and uncomfortable.

[@Haliceph]

It's so weird how in your face true crime girlies are about how nonchalant this makes them but call out their obsession suddenly it's about "staying aware for our safety". We can all smell the edgy bs a mile away

[@akisatsuki8444]

12:34 There are true crime content creators who want to bring attention to cases that we don't like to think about and remember the victims. However, I don't think those people are very many, and you can definitely still argue that it doesn't necessarily make what they're doing respectful. I don't think there's any excuse for making a book like this, even good intentions (which I doubt were there anyway, given how the subject matter is handled and the way you can color in victims with their killers and murder weapons).

[@valvihk3649]

This is the kind of stuff that needs to be taught and went through in crime classes in high schools and colleges. I met a bunch of people in Criminal Justice class or going into Ceiminal Justice degree who stated they were talking the class because they like true crime. These people are not conscious of themselves and the families that underwent those horror they love to watch so much. That consciousness needs to be enforced.

[@pensivelyrebelling]

The podcast My Favorite Murder used to sell merch like this. One was a puzzle of the US with symbols of serial killers in the area they committed their crimes. That item was out four or five years ago. But what do you expect from a podcast that uses that name?

[@Sableagle]

5:53 Ah, yes, the infamous Albert Ingleton, aka *Cinnamon Cheese,* a name to strike terror into the hearts of ... um ...

[@Roadent1241]

Aximilli Esgarrouth Isthill? Since he likes cinnamon stuff? XP Yes that is an Animorphs reference.

[@novabadova4238]

Mines the cinnamon monster 😭😭😭

[@Sableagle]

Not quite as scary as *The Cocoa Chef," of course, and I just realised that they've put "Back Ally" instead of "Back Alley" for "M."

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

3:40 oh, thank goodness it’s not the serial killer coloring book I got as a gift once. There is one podcast where the sloshy hosts mock the victims of murderers and giggle at how stupid they were. I vehemently go away from that podcast and instead listen to one where the people have souls and taste.

[@tell-me-a-story-]

What I hate about this book is it wants you to put yourself in the killer’s shoes instead of the people who would be solving the crime. You aren’t doing a puzzle about finding evidence, but destroying them, ect.

[@Bob-Jenkins]

That is one hell of a distressing colouring book.

[@_aconite_cj_]

I'm early so I'm jus gonna say this, Rachel I'm proud of you and how far you've come ♡ Please remember to relax and take care of yourself and take breaks between talking and making videos about all these heavy topics. We love you 💖🦋🎶

[@BoxOKittens]

I am interested in true crime, and there is definitely a line between showing respect and decency when covering stories, and....this. I have a murdered family member so just thinking of them being treated this way makes me sick. These stories are real, with real actual people involved! It's just so gross how quickly this community has leaned into such disrespect. They treat it all like a fictional tv drama or something.

[@mikalcarruthers]

This is disgusting to even make a coloring/puzzle book out of real life crime cases. The victims of these cases had to be really pissed off about this. Anyways Rachel, i hope you have a great holiday

[@ollieno971]

OH MY GOD THANK YOU!! whenever i search up “adult coloring books” (trying to find like more detailed coloring books not like 18+ coloring books) or “gothic coloring books” on amazon i see this. The first time i saw it i was so taken aback and disgusted. I checked the reviews to see if anyone was saying how gross and disrespectful it was but all reviews were like “I love it!” “It’s amazing!!”

[@thomriley1036]

There's this odd effect to all this, where people do so often enjoy the themes of Pirates and Vikings , or even semi-fictional Horror figures like Dracula and Chainsaw Cannibals. But, True Crime seems just a little too close to our everyday lives for people to be selling merch.

[@romanticghost7508]

True crime has always just felt incredibly disrespectful to the families and to the victims. It’s become so glamorized and it’s disgusting, serial killers and murderers are not attractive or cool. They are just people who are gross & awful, some of them had mental conditions that were not treated and that’s very unfortunate but they do not need to be treated like celebrities. They are people that needed usually psychiatric intervention.

[@giorgospapoutsakis5271]

Man the lengths people will go to without shame to make a quick buck is sickening, true crime (or should i say fake crime in this case) has turned from actual informative documentaries to a low effort content scheme of people that make money out of people's misery, there are still good and respectful true crime content around don't get me wrong on that but they get buried under these idiots that do stuff like this for a living, it's honestly depressing, thank you for bringing this up people need to know about this and put an end to it.

[@genericwhitefemale6752]

OH FUCK my mother in law gave me that book for xmas one year and I donated it without even thinking to open it!!

[@chaoticneutralsheep]

Only page I could mildy respect was the one that went for serial assaulter by mentioning he was let out for "good behaviour" because it offers knowledge on the corrupt system that most people wouldn't be privy to, but it's morbid levity can actually incentivise a feeling of injustice. It would certainly be a difficult adult colouring book to complete sitting alone in thought, but maybe that's the intent. Currently the bar is in hell when true crime watchers treat murders like hot gossip while doing makeup for their viewers.

[@TamelaRedfin]

True but somehow I think the intended result was the opposite. See, he's not that bad. He was let out for good behavior. All in all, this shouldn't exist.

[@chasewolfe8691]

My serial killer name is Pops Cannibal and I'm dyingggg Am I the Papa Smurf of Cannibals?!

[@PxNxWxGxW]

So I worked with two daughters of a serial killer. It would sadden me when people would talk behind their backs of how introverted and insecure they were. Im like, gee, do ya think? One dude dressed in their Dads Prison jump suit at a Halloween party. These are the idiots that walk among us.

[@marsh1020]

The name thing could have been silly and lighthearted if they just took out the more serious crimes. I got "Back Alley Tickler," which is pretty funny. I think you could do a more ethical crime themed activity book if you stuck to crimes that a golden era batman villain would have committed in a children's movie. The 'who would you murder' stuff is waaaay too far :/

[@Eloraurora]

Which Little Debbie's product would your comic-book villain persona steal in a one-page story/ad?

[@TheBlueEM2]

May I recommend the videos of Coffeehouse Crime? He goes out of his way to avoid sensationalising the crimes covered.

[@Natalia-nd4np]

I study the social repercussions of true crime (cults and canadian crimes particularly) and how it affects communities in my free time. This is absolutely disgusting in my eyes.

[@fattinuggies3571]

I work at Amazon, and just came across this exact book. To say I was disgusted would be an understatement

[@sierrafirerider]

Honestly, the true crime books and content I get is completely fictional stuff, things like Hunt a Killer or any of the Sherlock Holmes deduction activities. I would rather not focus on real people and cases unless it’s for educational purposes.

[@FayeVert]

If it's true crime it's not fictional, if it's fictional it's not true crime.

[@JJYork-y5c]

File this under "Ghoulish stuff to monetize and exploit". I am not as quick to label something as crass and exploitative in regards to true crime content but this goes beyond anything remotely acceptable

[@notnyssi8210]

I used to watch tru crime docs and read about serial killers on occasion (out of I guess morbid curiosity) and I had to stop because it was genuinely too depressive and not great for my mental health to dwell on these kinds of horrific things happening to people. The kind of person that would find this sort of “activity book” funny and entertaining is unfathomable to me.

[@enravotaboyadjiev7466]

Capitalism will commodify anything, even fucking tragedies

[@rachelsuegoodman]

Just casually training our brain to not take these things seriously.

[@madirenee6576]

5:50 lighthearted comment that my “serial killer name” according to that list is “back alley creep”

[@mixkid3362]

Man, I always thought people who are way too deep in true crime and serial killers were strange. Now there's this? Damn, what a weird Christmas revelation.

[@aralornwolf3140]

There's a paraphilia about desiring them....

[@britneyowenby2720]

Agreed. I came to that conclusion when I saw Netflix put snuff film audio in the don’t f with cats documentary. There is literally just uncut like snuff documentary audio.

[@chickennuggets8609]

Isn't that illegal?

[@magnus1383]

The excitement in you when you remembered the worst page and immediately wanted to show us is like me seeing something cursed and being like damn I need to show everybody. I like that. It's like when I hear someone eat something bad tasting and I am immediately like "Lemme have a piece." And DAMN that piece WAS awful. This book on a whole other level. Giiiiiirl. Maaaaa'aaaam. I feel your pain. Yeah... Yeah, a refund is best. Oh my god.

[@aporue5893]

''uhhh,what?'' -blue fish,spongebob

[@emilpug8100]

I have a loved one who was involved in what some would consider a "true crime" case. It was a horrific thing that occurred and even just hearing secondhand about it shook me up. Worse than ever hearing about it from them was when I realized how deep some true crime channels will dig. It was a small case, but I've seen smaller crop up on channels on youtube. There was a period of time where I had nightmares about coming across a video about it with someone doing their makeup or doing some ~spooky voice~ about it.

[@nomeayano7757]

I got that book for "intelligent men" from someone last year for work Secret Santa. It was so silly

[@krissyskulls]

I don’t like mixing with people who are heavily into true crime, they’re the kind of people who would get a kick out of it happening to someone who trusted them. Dangerous people.

[@tashibalampkin8555]

Y'all seen that woman with serial killer tattoos. Of actual real life serial killers. The people on her body have killed near 100 people all combined together. The victims suffered greatly and their loved ones still mourn them til this day. But yeah she thinks it's cool to have such tattoos.

[@sydneystricker7461]

Your makeup is so cute! I hope you’re doing good, its nice to see you having happy moments Also that book is disgusting

[@JaniceinAccounting]

I could not help myself, I had to look it up on Amazon and there are so many of these terrible books on there and the comments are so positive. It’s gross and sad. True crime content continues to cross every line and not in a good way.

[@Eldritch-Moth-r8o]

Those coloring pages are taken from “the bloody alphabet” and “bloody alphabet 2” they are coloring books of serial killers that give information on the crimes

[@lindseystein9676]

That “activity book” is rough. Let’s hope it’s an AI creation and someone didn’t dedicate a large amount of time coming up with all of that themselves. Off topic, but I love your green top

[@bubbletea1985]

I think people sometimes forget that there's such a thing as *fake* crime. Y'know, Poirot? Sherlock Holmes? You can have your cutesy crime-drama themed stuff, just don't use real people for god's sake!

[@ombrenightcores]

The thing I like about True Crime is much more how the killer got caught more than the disgusting things they did to their victims. One’s based on a sense of justice, the other is based on sadism by proxy.

[@ashes1215]

This reminds me of a true crime creator I used to follow. She now "stars" in a YT series where she plays a serial killer, and seems to relish the role...and promotes it on her true crime channel. In a live she did with the directors, they said they wanted people to "empathize" with the serial killers. 🤢

[@resourcedragon]

Just one question: where do you buy your puzzle books so that the rest of us can avoid that shop?

[@RachelOates]

They were just on Amazon. They were pretty last minute purchases so they only actually arrived a couple of hours before the party 😬

[@rosykindbunny1313]

There is a huge difference between enjoying learning about true crime and glorifying the crimes. This is absolutely disgusting.

[@yanniesays]

This is absolutely horrifyingly WILD. WHY??!!!!

[@GirlPlastix]

probably money

[@cjb2749]

Wtf??? That is incredibly disturbing. Who came up with that trash??

[@taylorkyle2221]

Hi Rachel! Thanks for making great content!

[@inserttromboneplayingfurryhere]

5:50 “terrifying stabber” or with my preferred name “kitchen stabber”

[@bagelprince3]

BABE WAKE UP NEW RACHEL VIDEO!!! TIME TO GET YOUR BRAIN GOIN!

[@lizajane2971]

I hate when a crime or mystery is unfolding in the news and "interet detectives" start putting out their insane theories as though they're truth, criticizing and harrassing family members of the victim or missing person and generally being a nuisance and then insisting that they're important and helpful! The Kiely Rodni disappearance was the first time I became of that part of the "true crime community," and I hate it. That there are still some morons out there who believe that she was murdered and the whole town including her own mother are conspiring to cover it up and that they are the only ones who truly care about her is truly insane, sick deluded stuff! That lady who was assaulted and murdered by a criminal who had just been released from prison was the second. Before we knew what had happened, I was seeing people criticizing her husband for the way he cried and didn't say anything at the press conference. These are real people. This isn't a mystery for you to solve. You're not Nancy Drew!! Leave it to the professionals!

[@zachreads]

Couldnt read the names but using those rules id make up something silly like the zamboni pteradactyl

[@Jo_Langston]

i think the only true crime podcasts i still listen to are crime junkies(the hosts are respectful(from what i've listened to) to the victims and their families) and excuse me that's illegal(a podcast about sillier, non serious crimes) because so many podcasters are disrespectful and i feel like i can trust crime junkies to not make light of the situations they're discussing and i know that emti is only about silly misdemeanors. it's so screwed up that most people that are true crime "fans"/creators don't treat the subject matters seriously or idolize the perpetrators. it scares me how insensitive most of the listeners/creators are to the victims or the victims' families.

[@TheSpiderInUrWalls]

Agreed. The only podcast I listen to has never idolised criminals, often uses pseudonyms to protect victims and their families, and always ends focusing on the person the victim was and the effect on their family/community. Serial killers deserve to be forgotten. Not their victims.

[@Thatonekpopgirl127]

How do people even come up with stuff like this, and who gives the go to to release it?! 😭 I’m the bloody nurse, btw….

[@SteppingStone445]

Coloring a picture of a sobbing child is crazy 😂

[@erikdaniels0n]

Your makeup is SO SLAY here, Rachel. But, I’d expect nothing less from the Bay City Slayer. In all seriousness, there are absolutely no words to describe how vile this activity/coloring book is