A Scale of Evil

In searching for something to watch the other day, I came across this show called "Most Evil." The host, Dr. Stone, developed a 'Scale of Evil.' The premise for the show is to go through different criminals and categorize them into the levels of evil. Since I'm lazy but still wanted to post today, I figured that might be an interesting thing to discuss.

1. Those who kill in self-defense and do not show psychopathic tendencies
2. Jealous lovers who, though egocentric or immature, are not psychopathic
3. Willing companions of killers: aberrant personality—probably impulse-ridden, with antisocial traits
4. Killed in self-defense, but had been extremely provocative towards the victim
5. Traumatized, desperate people who kill abusive relatives and other (like to support a drug habit) but lack significant traits. Genuinely remorseful.
6. Impetuous, hotheaded murderers, yet without marked psychopathic features
7. Highly narcissistic not distinctly psychopathic people with a psychotic core who kill people close to them (jealously an underlying motive)
8. Non psychopathic people with smoldering rage who kill when rage is ignited
9. Jealous lovers with psychopathic features
10. Killers of people who were "in the way" or who killed, for example, witnesses (egocentric but not distinctly psychopathic)
11. Psychopathic killers of people "in the way"
12. Power-hungry psychopaths who killed when they were "cornered" (for fun things about Jim Jones, see here)
13. Killers with inadequate, rage-full personalities who "snapped"
14. Ruthlessly self-centered psychopathic schemers
15. Psychopathic "cold-blooded" spree or multiple murders
16. Psychopaths committing multiple vicious acts
17. Sexually perverse serial murderers torture-murderers (among the males rape is the primary motive with murder to hide the evidence; Systematic torture is not a primary factor)
18. Torture-murderers with murder the primary motive
19. Psychopaths driven to terrorism, subjugation, intimidation and rape, (short of murder)
20. Torture murderers with torture as the primary motive but in psychotic personalities
21. Psychopaths preoccupied with torture in the extreme, but not known to have committed murder
22. Psychopathic torture-murderers, with torture their primary motive

To make things funner, I linked each level to a perp that embodies it. Number three was tough to find, as the person he lists on his list (Cindy Campbell) is virtually unfindable via internet searches. I just keep getting stupid Scary Movie quotes. But be sure to check out the extra link on number 12 - it's a trailer for a movie that one of my friends is making and the link to his YouTube page in case you want to see more. You gotta love those shameless plugs right?

Just for fun, it might be interesting to try and think of some criminals on your own and fit them into the scale. Where do you see the Green River Killer? John Wayne Gacy?

Joseph Fritzl clearly belongs in level 19, and maybe Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee would join him there for the abduction and torture of Elizabeth Smart.