The De-racialization of Milwaukee Cannibal in The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)

Abstract

The main probe of this paper is to analyze how the re-enactment of real-life events, interviews, and factual events can de-racialize an abhorrent and a purportedly racial serial killer. Jeffrey Dahmer was a homosexual man who because of the shame factor working on his mind, choose the path of eliminating any evidence of his disgraceful acts. However, he was also accused of being a racist because most of his victims had one thing in common; their race (African American). Previous research on Dahmer has shown that he (Dahmer) indeed was a racist and his motives were purely driven by racism and "political correctness" (Barnard, 72). Jeffrey Dahmer, a notorious American serial killer that is documented by Chris James Thompson and Dahmer used multiple techniques to de-racialize him (Dahmer).In my study, I will be showing all those elements used by Thompson, shreds of evidence to support his (Thompson's) claim, and also show what racialized Dahmer and his case in the first place. Based on the possible results of the previous research, and by analyzing the evidence presented in the documentary, the study will try to exhibit how re-enactment plays a vital role in leaving a huge impact on changing perspectives. Therefore, this research will explore and contribute to the growing sector of analyzing documentaries, decoding hidden meanings, understanding cognitive and queer theory, and how not to racialize things that are not racial at all.