#lee heejoon

I finally started "The Scarecrow," and I get the toxic yaoi that the internet has been talking about, lol. I'm still on Episode 4, but something something the toxic masculinity of the era (=1988) that positions men as the protectors (of women) and how it fails spectacularly*, turning them into killers, bullies, and cops, and at the same time preventing a young boy from having feelings for his best friend, turning them into enemies in a lifetime of dick-measuring contests instead.

The Scarecrow is a masterclass in how Serial Killers are not necessarily smarter than the police. They succeed because of police incompetence and systemic biases. Take, for example, Jeffrey Dahmer. He wasn't some psychopathic super genius. He only got away with abusing his victims (mostly black boys) due to racist cops. They also didn't take homosexual relationships seriously. In the Scarecrow, Kihwan slipped through the cracks because of the self-righteousness of Taejoo, the corruption of Siyoung, and the overall police brutality. Taejoo is so far up his ass that he doesn't see that he repeated his mistake with Gibeom with that poor Seokman boy. He's operating on an emotional high and arresting people on a whim. Then Siyoung sends his thugs to roughen up the falsely accused for confessions. Gibeom could have survived. He would have. If Siyoung did not withhold medical care from him, if Taejoo took time to listen to him. But police brutality was his undoing - he could have ratted out his brother, but he lost a friend that way. Even after his release, Seokman is being treated the same way. Our justice system needs to be overthrown because it's hurting more people than it helps. What is the value of a confession gotten by torture and beatings? I particularly like Sunyoung finds it hard to forgive her brother for Gibeoms death.