Pseudopod 444: Boys Will Be Boys

[Scuba Man]

*shudder*

Off to find some pictures of kittens.

Oh, dear god, no.

Ugh, I'd already forgotten about the kitten.

Baby pandas. Looking for pictures of baby pandas.

For me, it was video of a porcupine chewing on a carrot.

[Millenium_King]

I liked this one a lot, although it at times felt unfocused.  I might have preferred more of a central plot, as I could not help but compare this story to "Rope" (play, and later a Hitchcock film) which likewise concerned young, sociopathic men forming a group.

I also think this was one of Alistair's rare misses with the closing commentary.  He was overly concerned with bullying and fighting, when this was a story about neither.  Yes, those things happened in the story, but the story was a larger picture of violence and sociopathic behavior.  Its frank portrayal of such issues reminds us that these individuals live amongst us.

Alistair also concludes that Brian and Clyde fight in order to "fit in" which I also think is an erroneous conclusion.  Brian and Clyde fought and committed violent acts because it was in their nature to do so - not because they wanted desperately to be part of a group.

Some people want to fit in, they want to be part of the herd - and yet it can be a titanic struggle for them.  Those who struggle in such a manner tend to see human interaction solely through that lens.  Watching everyone else "try to fit in."  While I think, in truth, some people never bother trying to fit in.  They cluster together in packs to commit violence, but this is incidental.  For Bryan and Clyde, it is the violence which motivates them - that they found each other was just a bonus.

[Unblinking]

I liked this one a lot, although it at times felt unfocused.  I might have preferred more of a central plot, as I could not help but compare this story to "Rope" (play, and later a Hitchcock film) which likewise concerned young, sociopathic men forming a group.

I also think this was one of Alistair's rare misses with the closing commentary.  He was overly concerned with bullying and fighting, when this was a story about neither.  Yes, those things happened in the story, but the story was a larger picture of violence and sociopathic behavior.  Its frank portrayal of such issues reminds us that these individuals live amongst us.

Alistair also concludes that Brian and Clyde fight in order to "fit in" which I also think is an erroneous conclusion.  Brian and Clyde fought and committed violent acts because it was in their nature to do so - not because they wanted desperately to be part of a group.

Some people want to fit in, they want to be part of the herd - and yet it can be a titanic struggle for them.  Those who struggle in such a manner tend to see human interaction solely through that lens.  Watching everyone else "try to fit in."  While I think, in truth, some people never bother trying to fit in.  They cluster together in packs to commit violence, but this is incidental.  For Bryan and Clyde, it is the violence which motivates them - that they found each other was just a bonus.

I could perhaps buy that for Clyde, who is just allowing others to congregate around him from the beginning of the story.  But Bryan, he hero-worshipped Clyde from the beginning.  Maybe he doesn't care about the opinions of everyone, but I thought he clearly cares very deeply about Clyde's opinion of him and wishes to emulate Clyde in order to fit in with him.

[Airotciv]

This is the second story I've ever listened to on Pseudopod, and I enjoyed it.  The character thought of himself as some superman, and I am certain that psychopaths probably do.  I liked how the author touched on their way around the system, and the explanations of how society nurtures and breeds this types. 

As one of the other commenters mentioned... "It read like a novel."
I agree, and I think it's because the author took the time to develop the characters much better than most short stories typically do.  Having said that, I think this story was just long enough.  Any longer or anymore graphic, and I would've gotten vomitus.  The fascination with of sick minds and serial killers is coming to a close for me.  I can only stomach it in small doses.   

[kibitzer]

Welcome Airotciv! Thanks for stopping by to comment.

[abandonedasachild]

I was quite interested to see the payoff, the "the assholes get it in the end" bit, the depth and resolution that comes from a study of such depravity by sensible whole people.
Well, I was disappointed.

I can understand where you are coming from here, the story was definitely hard to listen to... but that's what we came here for. We need fiction. We need an expression of who we are. We need a mirror to see the monster, just like we need that same mirror to show us the hero. We need to see the bad guys get stopped in the end. Thats all good, but for me, stores like this are about focusing in on one end of the spectrum of the human experience. I think that it helps us from becoming blind to the darkness.
I don't think its good to spend all of your time focusing on the darkness in the world, but i don't think its good to [always] stay away from it either.
We have keep our friends close and our enemy closer.

That said, I totally understand what you mean, and I respect that you are mindful of how the story effected you. =]