Irish Mob Books
Irish Mob Books
US $9.21
Bullets, Blood, and Glory: an Expose on the Glorification of Real and Fictional Murderers
Bullets, Blood, and Glory: An Expose On The Glorification of Real and Fictional Murderers
Violence, no matter how much some people try to deny it, is an integral part of our society, and will remain so, for better or for worse. It is used to protect, it is abused through many means, and the media capitalizes it on. However, this is not an essay about protection or the sheer amount of violence in the media, but about the people who make those who kill into Robin Hoods, Anti-Heroes, and people who are to be pitied. From Jack the Ripper in reality to the Boondock Saints and the Punisher in fiction, it had become common to make kills legitimate and body counts testimonies to genius. Let’s have a look:
Jack the Ripper – Dead but not forgotten. Prowling the foggy streets of London for reasons of his own, the most infamous serial killer of all went about killing prostitutes and was never caught. Jack may just be the most intriguing killer of the past 200 years, with numerous books detailing the theories surrounding the methods and the identity of the killer. As a few people have pointed out, however, if he had gotten caught, it is doubtful that so much would be written of him. His identity has been theorized to be a butcher, an American actor, a woman, etc. Somehow he or she managed to elude capture and the killings stopped. Though famous stories abound that he was caught, including a tale told to me that a man being hung for murder said “I’m Jack the…” right before the lever was pulled, it was never conclusively proven that he or she was caught, and their fate remains unknown. Unfortunately, with this curiosity came glory, as the killer was personified as being a highly intelligent killer worthy of admiration for his ability to escape justice. Even during the killings, Jack was noted to be a creature of respect, one who scared children and caused women of the night to fear for their lives, because they never knew if they would be next (spooky, no?).
The Boondock Saints – This movie and its glorification of vigilante justice will probably cause me the most trouble with you readers. These erstwhile Punishers (a character I take on later) are at first two Irish-Catholic brothers who take on the local Russian mob in Boston. The only reason they even start doing this is because they fought a few Russian enforcers in their favorite bar when the mobsters want the bar to shut down. The Russians attempt revenge, the brothers manage to kill them, they hide the money and guns they find on them, and things escalate. They kill X number of people, then the Russians get their best killer out of prison, it turns out to be the boys’ father, and in the end they choose to take on crime as a family. Of course, people will argue that it is much more complicated than that, but I’m not writing a movie review, I’m addressing the glorification of the characters. These brothers seem to justify their crimes (you heard me), by saying a family prayer: “And shepherds we shall be, for thee my Lord for thee, Power hath descended forth from thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out thy command, we shall flow a river forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine patris, et filiiet spiritus sancti,” and in one case they place pennies on the eyes of their victims ala Greek mythology (paying the boatman to ferry a soul to Hades). So the lesson seems to be: kill, pray, and do it again. This is actually addressed at the end of the movie in a fake “on the street” type segment where people voice their opinions on the family’s activities, with people both supporting and decrying their actions. I would have been one of the men calling them what they are: murderers.
The Punisher – I could write page after page about this character, because he’s one of my favorite comic book characters as well as one of the most fertile subjects for this topic. I’m going to leave the movies out of this, because the comics are a much deeper part of the character. For those who don’t know about the character, he was originally a hitman in Spider-Man, but afterward he developed into Frank Castle, a Vietnam veteran whose family was killed in the crossfire of a mafia hit. Frank manages to survive, but he grows disenchanted with the justice system when it fails to bring the killers down. He decides that the guilty need to be punished, and thus his new persona is born. He doesn’t capture villains ala Batman, another mainstream character without superpowers, instead choosing to take the route of acting, as the cliché goes, as “judge, jury, and executioner”. He is careful not to hurt those who he thinks of as innocent, for lack of a better word on my part, but is not above torture, manipulation, theft, and fighting dirty. However, the interesting thing about the Punisher is that while is that while he’s sort of a sympathetic character, Punisher MAX (the most realistic version of the Punisher), shows Frank as an unrepentant killer with a body count that goes beyond horrific. That IS what he is, and most of his “hardcore” fans would probably agree. Garth Ennis, an influential Punisher writer, noted that the character is “…well, obsessive, insane, twisted enough to happily mow down forty or fifty people in an afternoon.” Other people who worked on the character thought of him as a person who doesn’t have a complete grip on reality. The point here is that although the character is sometimes shown to be pitiable and (although you can’t blame the character) has inspired people to create groups on the Internet that support his actions (along with the Boondock Saints’). However, the big difference between the two is that the Punisher is shown as being cold-hearted and merciless, while the Saints are portrayed as having an unfathomable sort of happiness in what they do. In the end, although the Punisher is an intriguing character, he shouldn’t be confused with a hero (although he is capable of doing things that are heroic).
What exactly is my point here? I watch violent movies, I play violent videogames, and I write violent stories. However, my point here is that a line needs to be drawn between a murderer and a hero. If a hero kills (as they have in almost all media) it shouldn’t be a full on massacre justified by someone they care about dying or something of the like. If the hero kills, it should devastate him or her, not give them any sort of happiness or fulfillment. A murderer is a murderer, no matter the reasoning behind it. With bullets and blood there does not always come glory, regardless of how glossy the blood is made or the reasoning behind the murders.
About the Author
A college student at CWU, writing articles is something Jordan does to help people. He learns as he goes, and hopes that someday he can do some really meaningful work.
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Irish MOB Wedding Women's T-Shirt by CafePress $22 For the Irish Mother of the Bride to celebrate the wedding Wedding Women's T-Shirt Tee, TShirt, Shirt Our 100% cotton Women's tee is preshrunk, durable and guaranteed. 5.6 oz. 100% cotton. Standard fit. |
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Irish Books and Irish People $101.38 No Synopsis Available |
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Irish Books and Irish People (Dodo Press) $18.77 Stephen Lucius Gwynn (18641950) was an Irish journalist, biographer, author, poet and Protestant nationalist politician and MP. in the House of Commons. He served as officer with an Irish regiment during World War I. After graduating he spent ten years from 1886 tutoring as a schoolmaster, for a time in France which created a lifelong interest in French culture, as expressed in Praise of France (1927). By 1896 he had developed an interest in writing, becoming a writer and journalist in London focusing on English themes, until he came into contact with the emerging Irish literary revival. This was the beginning of a long and prolific career as a writer covering a wide range of literary genres, making the eighteenth century his particular specialism. He wrote numerous books on travel and topography of his own homeland. Gwynn returned to Ireland in 1904 when he entered politics. From the 1920s Gwynn devoted himself to writing, covering political events as Irish correspondent to the Observer. His other works include: John Redmonds Last Years (1919) and Irish Books and Irish People (1919). Author: Gwynn, Stephen Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 84 Publication Date: 2008/05/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.20 inches |
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The Mob by Galsworthy, John [Paperback] $23.73 This is a pre1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. Author: Galsworthy, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 88 Publication Date: 2009/06/04 Language: English Dimensions: 8.00 x 5.00 x 0.18 inches |
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Irish Socks $9.99 Truly a cheerful treat for Irish feet?.socks with shamrocks, an Irish flag and the word Irish! Cotton and spandex. |
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An Irish Country Girl: A Novel (Irish Country Books) $4.99 Readers of Patrick TaylorÂ’s books know Mrs. Kinky Kincaid as the unflappable housekeeper who looks after two frequently frazzled doctors in the colourful Irish village of Ballybucklebo. She is a trusted fixture in the lives of those around her, and it often seems as though Kinky has always been there. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Some forty-odd years before and many miles to the south, the girl who would someday be Kinky Kincaid was Maureen OÂ’Hanlon, a farmerÂ’s daughter growing up in the emerald hills and glens of County Cork. A precocious girl on the cusp of womanhood, Maureen has a head full of dreams, a heart open to romance, and something more: a gift for seeing beyond the ordinary into the mystic realm of fairies, spirits, and even the dreaded Banshee, whose terrifying wail she first hears on a snowy night in 1922. . . . As she grows into a young woman, Maureen finds herself torn between love and her fondest aspirations, for the future is a mystery even for one blessed with the sight. Encountering both joy and sorrow, Maureen at last finds herself on the road to Ballybucklebo - and the strong and compassionate woman she was always destined to become. |
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Irish Blessing 4 Plate $11.99 Irish Blessing 4 Plate |
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Irish Blessing 8 Plate $22.99 Irish Blessing 8 Plate |
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Irish Stout Recipes Magnet $9.99 Irish Stout Recipes Magnet |
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