If you are someone who is somewhat in touch with the world, you have most likely heard about the new Netflix documentary series, "Making A Murderer." This show has quickly become a cultural phenomenon. People all over are binge watching this 10 episode show and contributing their opinions on it through various social media platforms. I personally feel accomplished by completing this show in the matter of two days. While the case of Steven Avery, the driving plot of this show, is no secretive story, there is so much more to this series than just the newest conviction of this "innocent" man from Wisconsin. Petitions are going all around the internet to pardon Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, or to simply be granted an appeal. This seems to be the new craze for internet activists. While this series does say a lot about these two individual men and their trials, it also sheds light and many other issues this nation is facing.
The inadequacy of the American education system is clearly evident in this series. While it is reasonable that no one in the extended Avery family has a college level education, it is questionable what kind of education any member of the family has received. Brendan Dassey is described as a tenth grader with a fourth grade reading level. In what world does that seem acceptable? Neither Brendan nor his mother understood what the word inconsistent meant in regards to his constantly changing statements to investigators. You read that correctly: inconsistent. Brendan's attorney states that Brendan has below average intelligence and learning disabilities, yet he is in mostly normal classes. Education is not just about going to college and getting a well paid job. It is about being able to think critically on your own and understand the world around you. The education system has clearly failed the members of this family.
The press is constantly proving to be both a blessing and a curse in the country, and it is no different in this show. The freedom of the press granted to Americans by the first amendment is an essential right. Being alerted that someone is missing or that a criminal investigation is taking place in your neighborhood is information that all citizens should have access to. However, the press is not always benevolent. As seen in this series, the press can cause a lot of trouble for the criminal justice system. Kayla, Brendan's cousin who was a witness during his trial, was supposedly influenced by the media when she was interviewed by the police. She repeated what she heard had happened between Brendan, Steven and Teresa instead of giving her honest understanding of that night. Furthermore, a fair trail was clearly made impossible since it is safe to say that every juror had seen or read news reports prior to the trial and could not have gone into it being unbiased. A juror that was excused in Steven Avery's trial admitted that he believed many of the other jurors came to their decisions before the trial even began.
The last issue of the press I saw was the intense clip of Barb, Brendan's mother and Steven's sister, basically flipping out because of the press. She had just learned that her teenage son was going to spend the rest of his life in prison and she is immediately bombarded with cameras and microphones and strangers questioning her. I don't know about you, but I would probably have freaked out too. This clip shows how insensitive the press is. They are out of getting a good story to spike up their ratings. They will do whatever it takes to get the best footage. The press is a double edged sword.
There will always be good and bad lawyers out there. Let's face it, a lawyer can pretty much make or break a case. This series shows the power of a lawyer. Steven had amazing lawyers who worked to get him exonerated when he was wrongfully convicted for 18 years. Steven was lucky to be able to afford smart and dedicated lawyers who tried their best to prove his innocence. Brendan was not as lucky. He was given a public defender who did not believe him and did not work to prove his innocence at all. Now I am not saying anything against public defenders, but honestly there are lawyers that went to Harvard and then there are lawyers that went to some school not good enough to even be ranked that you have never heard of. Just like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. Some lawyers want easy cases that will help their ratings. But there are also many lawyers that truly care about their clients and want justice to be served. It is important for Americans to know their right to counsel and to know the difference between the good lawyers and the bad ones.
This show is not just about the corruption in the Steven Avery case. It is about even more than I have stated above. While it is easy to get caught up in the show and see the sympathetic side of the Averys, you have to watch the show with a grain of salt. This show is designed to prove the corruption of the police against Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey. It may not be the whole and honest truth of what happened in these trials. This is why I decided to comment on other societal issued I saw come to light in this show. It is easy to get caught up in the drama, but I encourage anyone who has watched or is planning on watching this series to take notice of all the little issues that contribute to the over arching issue of the trial corruption.
