Serial Podcast Thread -- Adnan Guilty or Not?

[girlandcoconut]

You've just nailed one of the most unsettling things about Adnan for me, one that I hadn't realised until your post. His affect was disturbingly flat. I'd have trusted him more if he'd been furious with Jay, or the legal system, or nervous and thrilled at the chance to get his side of the story out. Just...a void. I know my impression is as logically invalid as Koenig's more positive emotional response to him and doesn't prove he's guilty any more than her being charmed by him proves he's innocent, but it's eerie to me all the same. I'd have voted to acquit, but he's uncanny.

I watch a lot of crime docs, and that sort of thing. A LOT. And after years in prison, he has spent what 15 YEARS, half of his life behind bars.... I've seen a similar affect with a good majority of the inmates I've seen interviewed, etc. Even when it's stories where they literally have all the proof, etc to possibly be exonerated, they've been in the system so long and seen first hand how it works (and doesn't) that they don't get excited or get their hopes up, etc. I've rarely seen a person reflect that. I think the hysteria we think we'd feel at first, which he likely did if truly innocent, would wear off after a while. Being in prison would change anyone. I have to think there's part survival mechanism in that too, one can only be kicked to the ground so much that most humans after a while will just stay down and crawl.

There was a story recently of I think 3 men that were sentenced to life in prism and were finally exonerated after like 50 or 60 years behind bars, they were eerily calm, emotional, sure but no literally jumping and screaming and stuff which I'd imagine one would do but again, doing time just has to change a person in ways we can't understand.

 

[FeeO]

I watch a lot of crime docs, and that sort of thing. A LOT. And after years in prison, he has spent what 15 YEARS, half of his life behind bars.... I've seen a similar affect with a good majority of the inmates I've seen interviewed, etc. Even when it's stories where they literally have all the proof, etc to possibly be exonerated, they've been in the system so long and seen first hand how it works (and doesn't) that they don't get excited or get their hopes up, etc. I've rarely seen a person reflect that. I think the hysteria we think we'd feel at first, which he likely did if truly innocent, would wear off after a while. Being in prison would change anyone. I have to think there's part survival mechanism in that too, one can only be kicked to the ground so much that most humans after a while will just stay down and crawl.

There was a story recently of I think 3 men that were sentenced to life in prism and were finally exonerated after like 50 or 60 years behind bars, they were eerily calm, emotional, sure but no literally jumping and screaming and stuff which I'd imagine one would do but again, doing time just has to change a person in ways we can't understand.

Yeah, that's a solid point I hadn't thought of too deeply. Survival-- primal survival-- would depend on shutting down non-essential systems, like emotion, particularly hope.