There are some stories out in the airways that will always cause viewers/listeners to scratch their heads and ponder why — as in, why is this even happening? I’m not talking about truly horrific events that will make you question what is wrong with humanity, but events that are so ridiculous and bizarre that you will question humanity anyway. That story that has recently gotten the spotlight in the nation’s many media outlets is Charles Manson’s marriage to his 26-year-old fiancée, which is quickly approaching.

While the act of a man well into his 80s marrying a girl young enough to be his granddaughter would be enough to warrant a cringe, that it is Mr. Charles “Helter Skelter” Manson makes the cringe morph into a look of pure confusion and disgust.

Frankly though, I don’t think we should be that surprised.

For some reason, most people prefer to ignore that modern society has a strange, morbid fascination with homicide and the individuals who are connected to the act. If you spend one afternoon simply binging on the Investigation Discovery Channel, then that social denial just withers up until the truth is fully in the light.

The truth is that we love to be entertained with real-life drama, especially when there is now a way that we, the viewer, can be negatively affected.

In a way, everyone loves serial killers and murderers because popular culture and media have glorified them. As it currently stands, the average well-publicized death-row inmate is on par with the likes of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Yes, they are frightening, but their crimes have been desensitized to us so much that the general public has really doesn’t understand how truly awful these individuals can be.

Take, for example, the ever so popular murder biopic movie. The formula is mostly the same, in which there is a significant amount of time used to show the mental instability and hardship of the killer. Now, I won’t say that it is wrong to humanize them, (they are, after all, human) but the way people mold their minds around the “poor” murderers eclipses the atrocities that have been committed and the plight of their victims.

So, what separates the normal interests of every other person in the world and the young girls that fall head over heals for the likes of Richard Ramirez and Ted Bundy? It’s the same kind of love, just to a larger degree. Kind of like how casual One Direction fans compare with their overly obsessed stalkers. It’s a freak chance that will always be a constant threat to those who hold a mild interest in any person.  And it can’t be helped. There will always be those who will take an interest too far and go jump into the proverbial piranha tank.

Personally, I recommend ignoring this type of controversy. There are more important things in the world than focusing on a killer and his upcoming nuptials. If there is one thing I know when it comes to serial killers, it is that they live for media coverage. To ignore them during the “happiest day of their lives” would be a true service to their legacy.

The day is approaching. It’ll come, it’ll pass, and then it’ll be forgotten. Life will go on, until another murderer wants to return to the spotlight.