1/7/2024 0 Comments Cold heart bitchOn Bundy’s retelling, it is the pornography which is the culprit behind his transformation: It was only when he was first exposed to discarded pornographic magazines at the age of 12 or 13 that he began to fetishize violence against women. He claims that he grew up a perfectly normal young boy who was raised in a loving Christian home. This is what Bundy does with his comments about pornography. The appeal to pity moves seamlessly into the refusal to take ownership of one’s own actions. And yet his winsome personality coupled with his newly found faith in Christ won over James Dobson and many other Christians as well. When you think about it in those terms, Bundy’s rebranding efforts certainly do appear to be preposterous. He then exploits Dobson’s views as a way to diminish his own culpability of his crimes, appealing to the pity of his audience, and even recasting himself as a moral crusader against pornography. He is well apprised of Dobson’s views on the corrosive social impact of pornography (a view I certainly share). As Stout observes, “In long retrospect, sociopathic appeals for pity are preposterous and chilling.” So how much more preposterous it is to think that Ted Bundy would appeal to the pity of his audience in his final interview with Dobson? And yet, this is precisely what he does.īundy came into the interview knowing his prey very well. It is incredible how brazen appeals to pity can be as when you have this abuser drawing in the sympathy of others just after he beat his wife. Stout makes the point by recalling the familiar story of the psychopathic husband who follows up the beating of his wife with repentant tears about what a horrible person he is. Or imagine Ted Bundy feigning an injury (one of his favorite strategies) and appealing to the goodwill of a passerby to help him right before he strikes. Or think of the man approaching children at a playground tearfully asking them if they’ll help him find his beloved lost puppy. Think, for example, of the doe-eyed oohs and ahhs from unsuspecting folks right before Puss in Boots draws his sword and demonstrates his feline ferocity. Pity leaves an individual defenseless, uniquely susceptible to the wiles of the predator. Stout goes on to explain why pity is such a powerful tool for the psychopath. Stout recounts her conversation with one psychopath who stated that the most valuable thing to him was to attain the pity of others: “What I like better than anything else is when people feel sorry for me.” This may be a trope from a humorous cartoon, but it tells us something revealing about human nature, namely how powerful the appeal to pity can be. At that moment those around him lower their defenses right before he goes on the attack. Puss is a master swordsman, but right before he goes on the attack he always assumes the posture of a vulnerable little kitty with big, liquid eyes. One illustration that comes to mind is Puss in Boots, the feline character in the Shrek films. It is, perversely, an appeal to our sympathy.” Aww, hello little kitty! Psychologist Martha Stout observes that while psychopaths often manipulate others through flattery or fear, the most common and powerful means of manipulation is through “the pity play.” As she explains, “The most reliable sign, the most universal behavior of unscrupulous people is not directed, as one might imagine, at our fearfulness. If we are going to understand the power of Ted Bundy in this interview, we should begin with the appeal to pity. What was Dobson doing speaking with this monster? Appeal to Pity Needless to say, the entire exchange between this family values guru and this cold-hearted monster was truly surreal. To put it simply, Bundy was the very epitome of the psychopath, as cold and vicious as they come. For example, he decapitated more than ten victims, keeping the heads in his house as a sort of unspeakably macabre trophy collection. And he viciously mutilated the bodies in unspeakable ways. Bundy was also a necrophile who would often hide the bodies of his victims so that he could return later to engage in sexual acts with the corpses. After he was arrested in 1978, he eventually confessed to thirty murders from Washington to Florida. His name was Ted Bundy.īundy had committed the most unspeakable, horrifying crimes. On the other side sat a handsome and charismatic man in his mid-forties with chiseled, sharp features and a gentle and charming demeanor. On one side of the table sat James Dobson, author of the bestselling book Dare to Discipline, founder of the ministry Focus on the Family, a symbol of family values: chubby, large glasses, wholesome. The meeting unfolded in front of the camera one day in 1989. Manipulator Ted Bundy plays James Dobson.
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