Karen North, social media expert and director of USC Annenberg’s Program on Online Communities, was quoted in a story from The Associated Press about the “alleged killing spree” of former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner.
Claiming a fight against injustice and racism by police officers, Dorner has already killed one police officer, as well as the daughter of a former Los Angeles police captain and her fiancé.
"My first thought was this is the stuff movies are made of," said North.
North’s second thought was that unlike most anti-heroes portrayed in films, such as in Sylvester Stallone’s “Rambo,” Dorner has no redeeming qualities.
Many people, however, are praising Dorner for fighting for his beliefs and drawing attention to such a major issue.
"People, especially Americans, like to identify with anti-heroes and underdogs, and if you take away the fact that he has killed innocent people, people identify with his messages," North said. "But when we do this, we often forget that these people are creating heartbreak for the individuals' lives they affect."
This story was also picked up by The Christian Science Monitor, ABC News, and Yahoo! News.
