Who *are* Jack the Ripper(s) ?

[DVV]

...and you promised to tell us more about your theory after some time...
Hope you are fine,
Amitiés,
David

[joelhall]

...and you promised to tell us more about your theory after some time...
Hope you are fine,
Amitiés,
David

cheers, been away for a bit cos my beau & i have been looking for a house. ill get you up to speed soon

joel

[Celesta]

Of course; that's obvious. And it's juvenile and hardly worth serious discussion.

It is the moral equivalent to titling a book on the Holocaust: "6 Million Dead: Would Jew Believe Hitler Did It?"

(And believe me, my wife is Jewish, I do not consider such a title to be amusing.)

If DaveR wishes to have his book taken seriously by other researchers, a title like "Did Lizzy Bordon Axe For It?" is NOT the path to professional respect on any level. The title demonstrates a complete disregard for the victims and the accused alike.

Perhaps it's obvious to you, who live here in the United States, but you have apparently failed to notice that there are a large number of non-US people here. It might not be so obvious to them. Clearly, you read some meaning, in what I said, that was not intended. It would seem that if you are sensitive to your wife's cultural background, or that of other peoples, who have suffered injustice, you would be more careful about making insinuations about people in general. If you have a problem with the title of the book, don't attack me, or other people here, over it, when they are merely innocently following a thread. Take it up with the author.

For your information, there are some people in the Southern US, who pronounce the word 'ask', in the way I mentioned. I have heard it among both white and African-American people of the western part of the Gulf Coast, as well as in other parts of the South. As you are a Northerner, you may not be cognizant of this.

[CraigInTwinCities]

Celesta,

Re-read my post carefully; you'll notice that I did *not* "attack" you. I used your post as a launching point for elaborating on the problem I have with DavidR's choice of title. If you felt the intent was directed at you, I apologize for the misunderstanding. My beef is solely with DavidR... and remains only with him.

As for the substance of the point, allow me to expand on it again.

Using "axe" for "ask" is not proper use of the language. It is, at best, slang. Or, to use a Merriam-Websterism, a "colloquialism." (Or, for the politically correct among us, perhaps Ebonics... a term I deem insulting to African Americans, as Ebonics is something I tend to categorize as being part of "the soft bigotry of low expectations." After all, you don't hear Condi Rice or Barack Obama saying, "Lemme axe you a question.")

And really, "axe" for "ask" is most commonly used among the uneducated, not the beneficiaries of a proper English-language education. Thus the label, at best, of colloquialism or slang.

I would argue (in general, and not directed at any individual, for clarity's sake) that by defending the title of the book as acceptable, one is giving the impression to our non-native-English-speaking audience that using "axe" for "ask" is proper and acceptable use.

It's not.

DavidR's posts demonstrate enough command of the English language to show that he knows what he's doing here.

The title is insulting and demonstrates a juvenile, non-serious approach to the whole topic of the Lizzy Bordon case, and such antics do not meet the professional approach most researchers and avid-interest posters on this board demonstrate.

I stand in agreement with Ally on this one... "My god... words fail me."

The title is tacky, tasteless and thus render the poster, DavidR, not worthy of serious response. Such a title is a juvenile stunt that, by extension, casts true crime writing in general in a bad light. I would urge folks not to defend the title, due to this. And I would urge DavidR, if the book is unpublished at this juncture, to reconsider the title to something more worthy of serious consideration.

If it's already published, the damage is done and we are all, in the field of true crime writing, the worse for it.

In my opinion, anyway...

[ADDENDUM: Unfortunately, the book IS published. Looking at a listing of the authors other books, the tackiness is unfortunately not limited to this one title. He's also the author of such untenable fare as "Call Me: Phone Sex with a Stranger" and "A Young Girl's Crimes: Uncensored and Uncut!" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...=David%20Rehak ... I'll say it again... GOOD L-RD, WORDS FAIL ME!]

[Doppelganger]

Yes, I think Lizzie would be ours for that era but she isn't half JtR. The other later big ones for us would be Black Dahlia and Zodiac although I can think of several I might put ahead of the latter.

i would add the boston strangler maybe son of sam.

[The Good Michael]

Craig,

What if the book is a humorist's approach to serial murder? The title would then be applicable.

Hold on! Okay, I got dibs on that title! "A Humorist's Approach to Serial Murder"

Oh yeah! Cha-ching!

Mike

[CraigInTwinCities]

Craig,

What if the book is a humorist's approach to serial murder? The title would then be applicable.

Hold on! Okay, I got dibs on that title! "A Humorist's Approach to Serial Murder"

Oh yeah! Cha-ching!

Mike

Mike,

I've read the summary on Amazon and unfortunately it's not a humor title. Even as a humor title, however, it would be tacky and rather un-funny, though humor is largely subjective... But again, it's not intentionally humorous.

I suspect the book to be self-published as I can't imagine an editor who'd let something like this slip by...

At least, not intentionally.... UGH.

[EDIT: Yup, it's self-published. Angel Dust Publishing doesn't seem to exist, but Lulu.com does: http://www.lulu.com/ It's a self-publishing house, which means he did not benefit from an editor to protect him from himself. Too bad.]

[The Good Michael]

Craig,

Okay, but there is humor in everything. Even Jewish comedians find anecdotes about their near-extermination that make us laugh... maybe nervously.

Cheers,

Mike

[CraigInTwinCities]

Craig,

Okay, but there is humor in everything. Even Jewish comedians find anecdotes about their near-extermination that make us laugh... maybe nervously.

Cheers,

Mike

Perhaps... but again, his book is supposed to be a serious work on the Lizzie Bordon case, not a work of humor.

[Celesta]

Celesta,

Re-read my post carefully; you'll notice that I did *not* "attack" you. I used your post as a launching point for elaborating on the problem I have with DavidR's choice of title. If you felt the intent was directed at you, I apologize for the misunderstanding. My beef is solely with DavidR... and remains only with him.

If this is the case, then I withdraw my harsh response, and will give you the benefit of the doubt. I will say that it certainly felt like an attack.

As for the other points you make, I understand your point of view.

Cel