Who Are We?

[Supe]

Michael,

I was a part of one of those surveys

We thanked you then and thank you again for your participation. The surveys unearthed a great deal of information about Ripperologists, their ages, sex, jobs and other interests and they proved to be an interesting and varied group of folks.

But should we ever do more surveys let everyone know Michael admitted to being a participant--once the data were encoded everyone's identity disappeared. Only fair way to do it and nobody's name went to a mailing list for hair restorers or anything else.

Don.

[The Grave Maurice]

ghoulstonstreet,

I've been hanging around here for yonks and, from what I can see, we are a bunch of people, from diverse backgrounds, with a common interest in Victorian history and an unsolved (perhaps, unsolvable) mystery. That's it.

[The English Gardener]

I've been interested - to varying degrees - for over 20 years, beginning {as so many did} with the eponymous Mr Knight and going on from there. I learned an awful lot very quickly {and have forgotten most of it as a result!}. An early veteran of Mark Galloway's incarnation of C&D, and a survivor of several caustic letters from a certain {nameless} doctor and Ripperologist, nowadays I confine myself to the odd {sometimes very odd} posting here and make sporadic attempts to catch up with more recent thinking than mine. To be honest I think I'm now more interested in the times than the events. Although it stills nags me that apparently no one has ever wondered why whoever it was who deposited that bit of apron in Ghoulston {love that spelling...} Street chose that side of the street and which direction they think that would indicate he/she was traveling in... Sometimes I think I'd like to get more involved in the study of the events once again. But other times I'm happy just to read Cap'n Jacks latest splashes of literary colour and gawp at the offerings on the Photographs and Drawings thread. This lack of real enthusiasm for the cut and thrust {and I'd like you to know that absolutely nothing should be read into my selection of that phrase} persuades me that I'm best off sticking to the latter pursuit.

[drstrange169]

For those not familiar with Life's "collar and cuffs article, it's available online.

http://books.google.com/books?id=4FMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA85&dq=jack+the+ripper&as_pt=MAGAZINES#v=onepage&q=jack%20the%20ripper&f=false

fyi

[karensa]

I had somewhat of a life and know better than to keep reading this forum and site, else it'll swallow me up. So far, I don't consider myself a ripperologist, so I'm not quite "one of you" in that respect...but for what it's worth, this thread kicked off Blind Melon No Rain video flashbacks...so hey thanks

[Steve S]

Picked up 'Autumn of Terror' from the library about 1970...Dad worked at Spitalfields at the time.......Read various other books over the years...Got a Computer..Realised I was comparatively normal!...One of too many interests,So I tend to keep a 'watching brief'...not informed enough to argue in detail......
Steve

[Monty]

when are you ever going to learn to let other people get a word in edgeways!

Ah, they never listen anyway Jen.

Monty

[ghoulstonstreet]

Im Monty....enough said.


Monty

You mean this is the FULL Monty? Geez I hope not. Hello!

[ghoulstonstreet]

I was a part of one of those surveys, and I still feel mostly the same way that I did when I filled out the questionnaire.

I think the cases as Simon Wood once said, "are more confused today than they were 100 years ago"....and my interest is in re-examining the premises we all have at one time accepted without any proof. Like the existence of a Canonical Group of only 5....no more, no less.

All the best

Eh, Canadienne, eh? Used to live across the river from Windsor, Canada. I like the MLK quote you included with your message.I do think the crimes need to be "kept alive" by thought and speech. I do tend to look at the Ripper crimes from a female perspective because they always seemed particularly obscene in view of the prim and puritanical mores of the Victorian era. I feel that the murderer was a kind of standardbearer, announcing the beginning of the war between men and women, with which we are now so familiar in Western society.

[ghoulstonstreet]

The Apron Bit

I've been interested - to varying degrees - for over 20 years, beginning {as so many did} with the eponymous Mr Knight and going on from there. I learned an awful lot very quickly {and have forgotten most of it as a result!}. An early veteran of Mark Galloway's incarnation of C&D, and a survivor of several caustic letters from a certain {nameless} doctor and Ripperologist, nowadays I confine myself to the odd {sometimes very odd} posting here and make sporadic attempts to catch up with more recent thinking than mine. To be honest I think I'm now more interested in the times than the events. Although it stills nags me that apparently no one has ever wondered why whoever it was who deposited that bit of apron in Ghoulston {love that spelling...} Street chose that side of the street and which direction they think that would indicate he/she was traveling in... Sometimes I think I'd like to get more involved in the study of the events once again. But other times I'm happy just to read Cap'n Jacks latest splashes of literary colour and gawp at the offerings on the Photographs and Drawings thread. This lack of real enthusiasm for the cut and thrust {and I'd like you to know that absolutely nothing should be read into my selection of that phrase} persuades me that I'm best off sticking to the latter pursuit.

I find it fascinating that of all the thousands of details surrounding these crimes it is the deposit of the apron piece which really snags your interest. The apron interests me as well. Do you know whether it is still in existence? Tell me what you think would be indicated in terms of whether it was left on the east or west side of the street. Do you think he chose that particular entranceway because the wall next to it could be written on easily.."The Juwes are the men..." and thank you very much for the Ghoulstonstreet compliment!

[ghoulstonstreet]

Survey Results

Michael,

I was a part of one of those surveys

We thanked you then and thank you again for your participation. The surveys unearthed a great deal of information about Ripperologists, their ages, sex, jobs and other interests and they proved to be an interesting and varied group of folks.

But should we ever do more surveys let everyone know Michael admitted to being a participant--once the data were encoded everyone's identity disappeared. Only fair way to do it and nobody's name went to a mailing list for hair restorers or anything else.

Don.

Hi Don, Yes, nice to see some folks have cahunes. I'd really like to see those results of Who We Are. How can I do that?

[ghoulstonstreet]

Picked up 'Autumn of Terror' from the library about 1970...Dad worked at Spitalfields at the time.......Read various other books over the years...Got a Computer..Realised I was comparatively normal!...One of too many interests,So I tend to keep a 'watching brief'...not informed enough to argue in detail......
Steve

Very interesting. You see, I'm in the States and I am getting the impression most of the people on this forum are Brits. Now, that's really surprising to me because you folks have had this "alive" in your culture for a long time. Yet there's so much interest. YET, YET, we're told by the dude who does one of the Rpper walks in Whitechapel that Whitechapel residents themselves are very down on ripperologists and don't want to save any of the old buildings. So there is this dichotomy and contradiction.
Your Dad worked in Spitalfields. How fascinating. Is Spitalfields only a street in Whitechapel or an area? What did people do there years ago, and then your Dad? Thanks, ghoulstonstreet

[ChrisGeorge]

For those not familiar with Life's "collar and cuffs article, it's available online.

http://books.google.com/books?id=4FMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA85&dq=jack+the+ripper&as_pt=MAGAZINES#v=onepage&q=jack%20the%20ripper&f=false

fyi

Excellent! Thanks, Dr Strange.

Chris

[ghoulstonstreet]

ghoulstonstreet,

I've been hanging around here for yonks and, from what I can see, we are a bunch of people, from diverse backgrounds, with a common interest in Victorian history and an unsolved (perhaps, unsolvable) mystery. That's it.

Hey. Hi and thanks for your post. I guess I started this post because I'm a little bit secretly worried about myself in that I have this ghoulish interest. But is it really ghoulish? I for one don't hunker down and keep looking at poor Mary's body photos, nor do I get a thrill every time some crime scene details are run by me again in print. I feel like laughing derisively when I think of the pepps who might do this.
I do have many many interests that have no relation to murders, death, mystery, etc. but I feel like a bulldog with this Ripper thing. Same with a couple others : JFK, Ramsey, murders in my hometown. The genesis for this interest is outrage.

[ghoulstonstreet]

ghoulstonstreet,

I've been hanging around here for yonks and, from what I can see, we are a bunch of people, from diverse backgrounds, with a common interest in Victorian history and an unsolved (perhaps, unsolvable) mystery. That's it.

Hey. Hi and thanks for your post. I guess I started this post because I'm a little bit secretly worried about myself in that I have this ghoulish interest. But then, is it really ghoulish? I for one don't hunker down and keep looking at poor Mary's body photos, nor do I get a thrill every time some crime scene details are run by me again in print. I feel like laughing derisively when I think of the many voyeurs who do this.
I have many many interests that have no relation to murders, death, mystery, etc. but I feel like a bulldog with this Ripper thing. Same with a couple others : JFK, Ramsey, murders in my hometown. The genesis for this interest is outrage.