Two news stories leading the media tonight. Each involving a beautiful two year old girl. Both dead, each allegedly at the hands of the very person who brought them into the world. And both mothers allegedly allowed their daughters to decay in a most horrible manner before they were found and given a proper burial. I say allegedly because under the law, these cases have not been to trial and in the USA you are innocent until proven guilty.
One girl, was named Riley Ann Saunders. Her mother and father allegedly beat her to death, and then stuck her in a plastic container and dumped into Galveston Bay, Texas. The story is here. Not for the faint of heart. The other, unless you have been hiding under a rock, has been the staple of cable media since June 2008, is that of poor Caylee Anthony.
According to the DSM I may be "mentally ill", but I wonder about these mothers- what they are. And I hope, the DSM V can come up with a word to explain it. Because all I can think of is "Evil".
I feel like this cat. Just want to hide and never wake up. I hate people sometimes. I just see the badness and horribleness, and it's so hard to remind myself there is good.
There has to be good .
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7 comments:
What's wrong with sticking to "evil"? No need for a faux diagnosis.
Wow. These are beyond the pale.
My mother once told me that people would sometimes hear stories like this and say things to her like "I just can't imagine how a mother could kill her own child!" and she would say, "I can." She said that when we were growing up, she sometimes very literally wanted to kill us, and had to make a conscious decision not to.
Kind of an alarming thing to hear from your mother, even in your 20s.
I'm with hymes on this one...evil exists and it's got nothing to do with mental anguish that some of us suffer at times.
conflating evil with people who have difficulties in living is what allows for atrocious human rights abuses against innocent people who do not fit the norm.
@Hymes, you are right. I just want to try to explain it, but how else do you explain a modern day Medea?
@Grisom, thank you for sharing. Wow. I don't know what to say. I can in theory understand how a mentally ill woman could murder her children- but- these two women are not mentally ill. They might have personality disorders- but they are not mentally ill.
@Gianna, you are right too. Just trying to make sense of something that makes no sense.
It's hard to understand evil.
I gave up.
It exists and the best thing we can do is avoid evil people and help those who were hurt.
My mum had the window up to toss me out after hours of crying when I was an infant. Happily for all concerned, my Great-Aunt Bessie came down from her flat above and offered to take me for a while.
The stories of these innocent children is horrifying. I don't believe every action is diagnosable, especially when it is clearly evil malevolence.
But there is good in the world. You are one shining example. Be gentle with yourself and know that there is an end to the abyss: I've just found it and hope that will join me in the new day.
Regarding cases like these two, I always wonder what went wrong for the people who commit such crimes. "What went wrong for them" in contrast to "what is wrong with them". And I can't help it, I always end up at the same conclusion: it's our way of living, our culture, our civilization. No one is born evil. But a lot of people become evil, they become a reflection of their environment.
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