Boston bombing suspect has his defenders, many of them female

[The Straight Story]

A small but vocal chorus of young people, many of them female, are filling social-media sites with claims that the two brothers accused in the Boston Marathon bombings are innocent and have been unjustly accused, even "set up."

In defense of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (identified as Jahar on his Twitter account) sympathizers have taken to the Internet to proclaim their support. On Twitter, they post with hashtags including JaharisInnocent; fightforJahar; freejahar; and FreeTheLion. More than 6,600 visitors on Facebook have "liked" The Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Free Jahar movement.

Some of the tweets are fawning and cheeky, such as this one from @freeJahar97: "Yes i like Justin Bieber and i like Jahar but that has nothing to do with why i support him. I know he's innocent, he is far too beautiful." And this one from @keepitbluntedd: "getting one of jahars tweets tattooed on me tomorrow. I guess you could say I'm a #freejahar supporter. )

...

Many young women respond to issues of morality and justice "from a place of compassion and caring," so the support that some have expressed for Tsarnaev isn't that surprising, says psychologist Rona Carter, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan,

"They're often more concerned with how to support and protect the person when they see that others are not doing that," says Carter, who studies adolescent interpersonal relationships.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/19/boston-bomber-support/2164605/

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

1. "getting one of jahars tweets tattooed on me tomorrow"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure she'll live to regret that decision, although she sounds dumb enough to jam a metal utensil into a light socket, so who knows?

[Xipe Totec]

2. Well, this is better than blood lust, but not by much. nt

[JI7]

3. so only physically unattractive people can do bad things ?

[bunnies]

4. What the hell is this?

The future battered women society? I feel sorry (and sick) for these girls. Seriously.

[BainsBane]

6. It's like the women who fixate on serial killers

or other convicted felons. It's twisted. I can't begin to understand it.

[bunnies]

8. exactly.

Or the women that get into relationships with men who admit to hitting other 'girlfriends'. I had a neighbor like that. "oh no... he'd NEVER do that to me". Uhm yeah. Until he did. And she was shocked.

[Bosonic]

5. Mix one part "one direction fangirl" and one part "death row marriage lady"

and Voilà!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybristophilia

[BainsBane]

7. Do men ever do this?

Or is this something that only women do? You only hear about the women.

[Bosonic]

9. No idea, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did

[edbermac]

10. So did Ted Bundy

Interesting article regarding this.

Some people define serial killer groupies (SKGs) in narrow terms, such as women who fall in love with those killers who have been caught and are awaiting trial or are in prison. Other definitions include anyone, male or female, who shows some obsession with serial killers, to the point of extreme emotional attachment. It's not always clear whether the phrase "serial killer groupie," refers to people who just love the idea of a serial killer and would be aroused by any sort of contact, or more strictly to those who have become attached to a specific killer.

In any event, serial killers prove to be magnets for some people, mostly (but not always) females, and experts have offered a variety of reasons why. Among them are:

Rescue fantasies: the SKG wants to believe that she has the ability to change someone as cruel and powerful as a serial killer.

Need to nurture: many women have said that they see the little boy in these killers and feel an overwhelming desire to nurture and protect that part of him.

The perfect boyfriend: she knows where he is at all times, and while she can now claim that someone loves her, she does not have to endure the day-to-day issues of most relationships; she can keep the fantasy charged up for a long time.

Need for drama: during the trial, the daily events in the lives of serial killers may attract women who want to get close to the adversarial atmosphere and the possibility that something surprising may occur.

Hybristophilia: some people are sexually excited by others who commit violence

Exclusivity: there's a real sense of ownership of the facts about the killers—which confers its own special status—among those who feel intimately associated with them

Regaining the lost male: some who have been abused, neglected or without a father figure look to the killer to fill that need

Vicarious fantasies: some wish to live out their own visions of violence through a person who can actually act them out

Low self-esteem: some women believe they cannot find a man and since men in prison are desperately lonely, it's an easy way to get involved

Attention: when they do something like get involved with a killer, people talk about them and often the media puts a spotlight on them

Eminence: they evolve from Nobodies into Somebodies

The chance to show their mettle: they align themselves against the world in a heated defense of their beloved

Beauty and the Beast syndrome: they like the idea of getting close to danger that will probably not hurt them, but there's always the slight chance

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/s_k_groupies/4.html

[malaise]

11. SHould have been brown, bearded and unattractive

The Caucasian good looks make him innocent - these women need help. Hope they don't end up on watch lists.

[Uzair]

12. He's a good looking young man

It's too bad that he's been brainwashed by fundamentalist religion, but you can't deny his physical appearance. And I say that as a heterosexual male.

[jessie04]

13. Nothing surprises me anymore. nt

[Marrah_G]

14. Pretty common phenomenom