For the Weekend Warriors, Weirdos & Whackjobs - Issue #143
Your routine disturbance
Can we get some noise from the people in the back?
Out to everyone was a quick lesson with our communications specialist, Kennedy: Explaining Isn’t Listening. While it’s important to have the facts, it’s not always as important to be “right.” This week’s piece digs into a lesson learned somewhere between communications and investigative work: when a business, lawyer or client is under fire, the instinct is often to correct the record. But there’s a difference between correcting someone and effectively reaching them.
In paid inboxes was the coveted third instalment of Some Lawyer’s series concerning violence linked to The Warrior. A hitchhiker picked up outside Boston in 1979 said his captors called themselves “The Warriors.” But the harrowing details looked remarkably similar to crimes committed years before the film existed. To unlock this piece early, upgrade your subscription.
What Kennedy Recommends
A Toxic Love Story
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend. No spoilers.
This one was a showcase in the fallibility of the human memory. When the documentary started, I thought I was in for a standard scorned ex-lover tale. But as the scenes unfolded, I was reminded that not only was I wrong, I actually knew the story well.
At some point around 2018, a Reddit thread surfaced about this convoluted crime. I became fascinated with discovering all I could about how this possibly played out. And then, I guess, my memory got too full, and I chucked it all away. When it did dawn on me, it all came flooding back quickly.
I will say that while Netflix has a knack for tidy one-and-a-half-hour documentaries, they’re not my favourite, journalistically speaking. Balancing entertainment against ethics is a line that can be hard to find, and I often feel they toe that line. So, while this one leaves quite a lot to be desired, it’s a an easy Sunday scaries watch.
Now, take a trip to Nap City.
We’ll see you there.
Love,
Your Bullshit Hunting Crew