Ugly = Criminal?
Does being ugly make you more likely to grow up to be a criminal? According to a study cited in today’s Washington Post, it does.
The study argues that - aside from having a disadvantage in getting hired, earning better grades, being more sociable and having a negatively affected income - being unattractive also makes one more likely to commit a crime.
For all those out there who are baffled by the amount of good looking criminals who’s pictures are strewn across the media (I can’t believe I just said that, but it’s true), This may come as a shock.
Who could forget the jeopardy analysts alluded to during the Scott Peterson trial – fearful that his “boyish good looks” (their words, not mine) would prevent a jury from being able to envision him as a calculating and cold-blooded murderer.
Who hasn’t caught themselves wondering why someone as good (and normal) looking as Neil Entwistle would resort to murdering his wife and baby?
I think it raises a lot of questions about our perceptions of others. Why is it harder to believe that an attractive young man would commit murder than one who is not? Do we attach too much value to appearances? What does it say about us as a society?
The study argues that - aside from having a disadvantage in getting hired, earning better grades, being more sociable and having a negatively affected income - being unattractive also makes one more likely to commit a crime.
For all those out there who are baffled by the amount of good looking criminals who’s pictures are strewn across the media (I can’t believe I just said that, but it’s true), This may come as a shock.
Who could forget the jeopardy analysts alluded to during the Scott Peterson trial – fearful that his “boyish good looks” (their words, not mine) would prevent a jury from being able to envision him as a calculating and cold-blooded murderer.
Who hasn’t caught themselves wondering why someone as good (and normal) looking as Neil Entwistle would resort to murdering his wife and baby?
I think it raises a lot of questions about our perceptions of others. Why is it harder to believe that an attractive young man would commit murder than one who is not? Do we attach too much value to appearances? What does it say about us as a society?
posted by Nunzia at 10:13 AM
3 Comments:
What does it say about our personalities that I picked ugly people to use as an example and you picked the good looking ones?
I thought it was a ridiculous and biased study designed to make people feel worse than they already did.
Thanks for showing the other side.
I hope you understand that I wasn't trying to give credit to that study... I was merely calling attention to a biased I think we all have, at times. Why do we think that "normal looking" people are less likely to do terrible things? I was posing the question more than anything.
could it be possible that i'm in love with you just from reading your blog?
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