‘Dahmer’ and the Ethics of True Crime

Into It: A Vulture Podcast, October 6, 2022: 'Dahmer' and the Ethics of True Crime

“Is there a way to make true crime ethically? At the very least, can we stop making serial killers hot? Sam chats with Vulture TV critic Jen Chaney about the criticism behind the hit Netflix show DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and the rise of true crime as the latest IP. We also ask comedian Jay Jurden if he is into the new get-out-the-vote effort from Saucy Santana and Trina. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: David Herskowitz is the Harry Styles of the Miami Boys Choir.”

The New York Times, October 5, 2022: ‘We Don’t Want to Relive It’: Jeffrey Dahmer Drama on Netflix Draws Anger

“For years, Eric Wynn was the only Black drag queen at Club 219 in Milwaukee. He performed as Erica Stevens, singing Whitney Houston, Grace Jones and Tina Turner for adoring fans, eventually earning the title of Miss Gay Wisconsin in 1986 and 1987.

“‘I had this group of Black kids who came in because they were represented,’ Wynn, now 58, said of his time at the club in the late 1980s and early ’90s. ‘I saw them and let them know I saw them, because they finally had representation onstage.’

“Among them were Eddie Smith, who was known as ‘the Sheikh’ because he often wore a head scarf, and Anthony Hughes, who was deaf. Hughes was ‘my absolute favorite fan’ and blushed when Wynn winked at him from stage. In return, Hughes taught him the ABCs of sign language.”

Additional reading:

CNN, October 7, 2022: Opinion: ‘Dahmer’ debate is finally saying the quiet part about true crime out loud

Time, October 6, 2022: How Dahmer Became Netflix's Most Controversial Show in Years

Esquire, October 5, 2022: R&B Singer Lyfe Jennings Opened Up About Meeting Jeffrey Dahmer in Prison

The New Yorker, October 2, 2022: Netflix’s “Dahmer” and the Killer Who Cannot Be “Explained”