In Quest of the Sublime – Dark Tourism


Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63088009.amp

In my Globalisation module this week, I was tasked with giving a presentation on a subject that had interested us in the module so far. Inspired by our most recent topic, I chose to present on dark tourism. My presentation focussed on the Jeffrey Dahmer tours in Milwaukee. 

 The dark tourism industry often runs into controversies and causes much upset. This industry has further immortalised the legacy of the murder of 17 men and boys by Jeffrey Dahmer. Visitors to Milwaukee can now go on tours of the area in which Dahmer lived, clubs he frequented, and other places where he lured his victims before they met their tragic end. The creation of such tours and the continuous interest in serial murder tourism poses the question of why? The ethics of these tours must also be questioned, especially when the crimes remain in living memory. 

 This strange phenomenon is further exacerbated by the dark tourism industry. Website Wisconsin Frights advertises ‘Jeffrey Dahmer Tour: Cream City Cannibal’. For $40, you can take ‘a gruesome walking history tour down the same Milwaukee streets where serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer poached 7 of his victims before taking them back to his apartment for dinner’. A one-star review of an unhappy customer reads, ‘It was such a rip-off and a huge waste of time. Afterwards, I learned that the victims’ families were not happy about the tour. I wish I never went on it.’ This addresses the ambiguous code of ethics within the dark tourism industry. The tragedy of the events is glossed over by sensationalist stories and often has no concern for the those who suffered the impact of the murders. 
Source:https://www.waterstones.com/book/
the-fascination-with-violence-in-
contemporary-society/oriana-binik/9783030267469


 In her work, The Fascination with Violence in Contemporary Society, Oriana Binik writes on the phenomena of serial killer tourism, stating ‘death is one of the most powerful activators of the feeling of the sublime in all its manifestations. In accordance with this consideration, one of the fixed points in this consideration of dark tourism and the emotions it is capable of conjuring up relates precisely to death. It is believed that the phenomenon is an expression of a human desire to make contact with this sublime, incredible and hushed up sphere of life capable of prompting feelings of vastness and power’ (Binik. 2029 p. 71). Through the Jeffrey Dahmer tours, visitors are able to make contact with the sublime, a feeling of incredible vastness and experience a sense of greatness beyond. By coming close to the concept of death yet not facing any true danger, the visitor may feel a sense of grandeur and power. Death sustains itself as an object of intense fascination, and by making contact with it we may experience the feeling of the vastness of the sublime whilst being able to return to the mundane at the end of the day. This suggests that the popularity of murder tourism is rooted in the desire to experience death-related spaces, the sublime, and everything otherworldly. The human psyche is naturally drawn to things which are transgressive and breaks the barriers of mundane daily life. 



 Bibliography 

Binik, O. 2019. When Crime Is Sublime. In: The Fascination with Violence in Contemporary Society.  Milan: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: <https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-26744-5.pdf > [Accessed 7th November 2022]

 

Cream City Cannibal: Jeffrey Dahmer Walking Tour, Trip Advisor. Available at: (<https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/AttractionProductReview-g60097-d23983034-Cream_City_Cannibal_Jeffery_Dahmer_Walking_Tour-Milwaukee_Wisconsin.html> [Accessed 7th November 2022]

 

Jeffrey Dahmer Tour: Cream City Cannibal, Wisconsin Frights

<https://www.wisconsinfrights.com/jeffrey-dahmer-tour-milwaukee/> [Accessed 7th November 2022]

 

N/A. 1994.  Serial Killer Dahmer Collects $12,000 from Pen Pals. AP News. Available at: <https://apnews.com/article/ff1b41788b5c4b3452ae0ec7d96c06f3> [Accessed 7th November 2022]

 

 

Phillip Jenkins, J. 2022.  Jeffrey Dahmer American Serial Killer. Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jeffrey-Dahmer> [Accessed 7th November 2022]

 

 

The Associated Press. 2012. Victims' families protest planned tour of Jeffrey Dahmer's haunts in Milwaukee. CT Insider) Available at: <https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/Victims-families-protest-planned-tour-of-Jeffrey-12072980.php > [Accessed 7th November 2022]

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