If the current generation hasn’t already contributed enough absurdity to the world, it has just heaped a landslide upon us. While Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz sits in jail waiting for his fate, fan mail addressed to him continues to stack up. Cruz has received letters from admirers from as far away as Europe. Young girls—and even older men—across the United States are reaching out to Cruz. According to authorities, some are sending risqué photos of themselves and showing a disturbing amount of empathy to the school shooter.
Many of the young women expressed the desire to become pen pals with Nikolas Cruz and remain in touch. Some letters are of a purely religious nature; all have been from individuals who are sympathetic to Cruz. One Girl Scout troop sent a message reading “May God Forgive,” which was signed by several girls.
While murder groupies aren’t anything new, fawning all over a school shooter has just set the country down a dark path. One writer from Germany said, “I feel sorry for you, as the media represents you without acknowledging what you’ve been through in the past years.” Another from England wrote, “I have freckles like yours. I think you’re beautiful.”
I was in school when Columbine happened and remember how shocked the nation was. Back then, hardly anyone could fathom such an act. Today, school children have become familiar with conducting active shooter drills.
Nikolas Cruz is nothing more than a child killer. Other high-profile killers that gained groupies include Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. The sensationalism that follows mass murders in today’s media is usually accompanied by speculation and motive. Talking heads try making sense of the act while endlessly flashing the killer’s portrait. Nikolas Cruz has been painted as a disturbed orphan, thus attracting unstable girls with daddy issues who love “bad boys.”
Adding insult to injury, hundreds of dollars have been added to Nikolas Cruz’s commissary account at the jail by random weirdos. This will allow Cruz to purchase snacks and other jail-approved items from the commissary. Letter writers also offered to contribute money to his commissary account so he can buy stamps to write back.
For now, Nikolas Cruz remains on suicide watch and doesn’t have access to the media. According to his public defender’s office, Cruz hasn’t received any of his fan mail. They aren’t clear whether he ever will or not. The only letters that have been read to him are those offering strictly religious content. Reports have also been circulating about Facebook groups dedicated to Nikolas Cruz where his “fans” can gather in solidarity to support the mass murderer.
The depravity of individuals wanting to befriend someone like Nikolas Cruz baffles me. I wonder if any letters were sent to survivors of the victims who suffered violent deaths. Nikolas Cruz planned and executed actions that ended the lives of 17 human beings then headed on over to Subway. If someone’s initial thought is to send him selfies and support, this truly is the era of Tide pod eaters.
