Reading about Jack the Ripper, and one of the favorite suspects is Walter Sickert because he’s a painter who became associated with JTR. A painter-serial killer is a pretty grim combo, but I believe the theory was introduced in the late 70s and discredited.
But it got me thinking how you could live a seemingly normal life, maybe even be a random witness to a crime. But then some hack 100 years later will comb through the files and see if your name was ever the main subject, and if not, suddenly they got 500 pages dedicated to your life and shady behavior. Then it reaches the NYT Best Seller.
Investigators and researchers may dismiss it or even acquit you if the author is convincing enough. But still. Imagine your only legacy is showing up in the search results of murder or terrorist suspects.
I care? Obviously. And so do a bunch of other people. It’s called a legacy. You don’t need to care that’s fine. but I would rather not have friends and family be plagued with random accusations for being associated with me.
Plus, I don’t want to be falsely accused of shit, alive or not. If none of it matters just because you’re dead then maybe we should just abolish justice organizations that turn up new evidence that acquit minorities falsely sentenced post-humously. After all they’re dead. There’s no reason to worry about whether they’re guilty or not.
