Iconically American crime
the true crime that's worth your time
Tomorrow is the Fourth of July holiday in the U.S., a celebration of Americana typically enjoyed with fireworks, processed meats, and — most importantly — a day off for many (but not all!) workers. It’s a time when the unabashedly pro-U.S. get even louder, and those of us who are uncomfortable with our country’s problematic past and worrisome present wish they’d pipe down and let us enjoy our vacation and some barbecue.
It’s a cliche to note that the gap between those factions grows ever wider, and that the holiday can be one of those family events where long-simmering resentments get played out as boozy arguments about January 6, the latest Supreme Court decision, or the measles vaccine.
Today’s pre-holiday discussion thread is here to help you avoid those non-productive discussions — or other ones involving the value of Black lives, police misconduct, or the footage someone saw on Fox News about [insert major U.S. city here] that demonstrates the failure of [insert political faction here] — with today’s thread on what we’re talking about when we talk about American crime.
(When I say “American crime” I’m not talking about Ryan Murphy, though I do encourage anyone who has thoughts on his true crime-based work to state their opinions below. I’m not even sure why he started calling all his stuff “American,” are you?)
Sure, the biggest American crimes happened long before we were born — the theft of this land from the folks who lived here, shortly followed by the kidnapping and enslavement of people to farm it — but as we’re focusing on cases that won’t end in screaming over the cooler of PBR, we’ll put a pin in that one for now. Instead, let’s look at the FBI’s top 25 major cases as a starting point, because what’s more American than the FBI?
It’s a rundown that’s low on serial killers, and weighted heavily toward kidnappings (is Frank Sinatra, Jr.’s abduction really one of the biggest American crimes in recent centuries? According to the FBI, yes!). No Manson, no Waco, no Unabomber — but yes to JFK, Jonestown, and the Lindbergh baby.
Overall, it’s an interestingly and oddly curated list, one that mentions some cases I’d forgotten and leaves off some expected choices. So, which I fully intend today’s discussion thread to act as a holiday free-for-all, this is our official prompt: what classically American crimes did the FBI leave off their list (bonus if you recommend the best true crime property abut the case), and which ones on their list deserve to be bumped? — EB
P.S. July’s bonus review poll remains open, so do the American thing and vote!