Generational Ripperologists

[corey123]

Hello Casebook,

I have been thinking about this alot. Am I the only member of the youngest generation of Ripperologists? I have never truly given my age on here, but I am young. Very young, yet I am perceieved just a well as anyone else on here. I even have a essay to be published in December(hopefully) and I have yet to hit the age of 20.

Yes, I am under the age of twenty. Do not bias me by my age. Knowledge has no bounderies and age is defently not one of them. If someone is inquisitive about something, if they put their mind to it, nothing can get in the way of their pursuit of knowledge. I like to hold that philosophy in the highest rank next to others. Again, do not take me less seriously than you would say Tom Wescott or Neil Sheldon, I am just as capable of accomplishing anything a older ripperologist can.

I joined this community in 2009 and I have to say it was one the greatest decisions I have ever made. Next to finding my passion(criminology, ripperology, psychology) I also gained imminse wisdom and friendship from those around me. I want to tahnk all those who have helped me with this. I remember my first post here(against my better judgment at which I wish I could forget it ) and it was horrible. I can't even stand to try and count how many bad responses I obtained from it. However, unlike some, I have worked hard at perfecting my posting style, at learning all that I could learn, and trying to fit in with such a high intellegent crowd.

Anyhow, is there any serious Ripperologist(other than myself) that is in the same predicament as me? Belonging to the new generation of Ripperologists? I believe this history and this community is worth keeping alive.

Again, please don't think any different of me becuase of my age(which I still shall not reveal ) because age is no boundary to knowledge. This I know.

Thank you.

Corey Browning

[Errata]

Well, I am older than you (early 30s), and still shiny new to the forums but I don't think you will end up being that unusual. There's something about Old Jack.

I am a second generation Ripper buff. My parents took us to London when I was about 9, and we went to Madame Toussade's wax museum that has a Ripper victim in a Victorian alley. My mom told me everything remotely age appropriate about Jack the Ripper. A couple of years later I read one of Donald Rumbelow's books. No book in the house was forbidden to us, but if they were "adult" books we had to talk to a parent about the book afterward. My mom was very careful to see if I was freaked out by it, waited a few days to see if there were nightmares, and then gave me a bunch of other books on crime and forensics. We would talk about it, she would share her theories with me, give me weird experiments to illustrate certain concepts. We really bonded over it. Which may be twisted, but hey... By sixth grade I had written a four page sourced paper on Jack the Ripper for school. At 16 I probably could have been just as good (or bad I suppose) contributor to this forum. My knowledge of the crimes were essentially complete, and my knowledge of profiling, forensics, methodology, kinesiology, etc. was certainly at a level to deal with these crimes. Essentially, any knowledge that could be gained from any public source without travel, credentials, or a self addressed stamped envelope I had at 16. And I KNOW there are kids out there like I was. I occasionally see a preteen in the true crime section surreptitiously reading a Ripper book. There was a very well worn one in my school library.

I'm not saying my situation is the usual (or even normal), but I'm pretty sure it means there's more like you, like I was at your age.

But lest you think the family hobbies were without consequences, the school made me see a shrink in first grade for teaching the other kids a version of "Duck, Duck, Goose" in which one counted off by saying "Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, SURVIVED!". Evidently a rash of parents called wanting to know why their kids came home and wanted to know what "beheaded" meant. Given I was also the child who announced in kindergarten where babies came from, they felt I was a bad influence on the other kids.

[RJM]

Age is neither a hindrance nor an advantage in Ripperology, Corey. It's all about ideas and research, and bringing something new to the game.

Paul Begg and I actually had an interesting conversation at last year's conference about the those in the field from his generation (and earlier) and the new guard. If you buy me a drink some time, I will tell you what was said. It wasn't a question of who had better ideas or knew more either. It was deeper than that.

Stephen Ryder, who started this website, the greatest single repository of information associated with the Whitechapel murders, and which you appropriately praised, was still in his teens when he made this brave new world or information and community a reality. All of us here owe Spry a great debt.

Contrast that with Dr. David Abrahamsen, who, in his late 80s wrote the dreadful Murder and Madness: The Secret Life of JTR, stitching up J.K Stephen and Prince Eddy with no evidence or solid psychology to back up his spurious claims.

I completely agree with you that age is not relevant, but...

Again, do not take me less seriously than you would say Tom Wescott or Neil Sheldon, I am just as capable of accomplishing anything a older ripperologist can.

before you start comparing yourself to the likes of Neal Shelden, you had better show me some serious research. The genealogical work he has done on the victims has contributed enormously to our knowledge of this case. Finding a picture of Annie Chapman in life is an extraordinary achievement on its own had he done nothing else. My book, and the writings of others, would be missing much information if not for the exemplary work of Neal Shelden.

It's great to aspire to that level though, Corey.

Cheers,

Robert

p.s. Don't feel left out, Tom, you know too. Just didn't want to belabour my point

[Adam Went]

You're certainly not alone as being part of the younger group of Ripperologists, Corey. I've got no problem in stating that i'm only 20 years old (turning 21 next month). I know another excellent young researcher, Justin Dombrowski, is only a couple of months older too.
Over the years that i've been involved on the forums, there's been several members (they know who they are) who have decided that I, along with others in a similar position, should be judged on age rather than ability. It was much worse going back a while, not so much now.

The very first article I was ever part of, which I researched and co-wrote, was "Jack the Ripper and the Tasmanian Press", published in Ripperologist just after my 16th birthday. There's been 3 more since then, two of those being published this year and with another one in the pipeline for the not too distant future. Some might disagree but for those who have read and enjoyed my articles, i'd like to think that i've helped prove a point that younger researchers are just as capable as anybody twice or three times their age. It's the younger group that will keep Ripperology alive into the future, after all.

I'm a huge fan of anybody who doesn't allow their age, appearance or other factors to get in the way of what they want to achieve. Over here just recently in our election, our youngest ever Member of Parliament was elected, at the age of just 20 years as well. If you look back over the thousands of years of history, there's numerous instances of kings, queens, pharaohs and others in a position of massive power before, in some cases, their age even ends in the word "teen". What we do is minor in comparison but it all fits the jigsaw pieces into the bigger picture.

So Corey, keep up the good work, all the very best for your essay and future projects - and let's us young researchers band together, eh?

Cheers,
Adam.

[corey123]

Hello All,

Robert,

Thanks for the kind words, no I am not comparing myself to Neil Sheldon, however, it was he who poped up as an example.

Adam,

Nice to hear there are other young ripperologists out there. I am probally one of the youngest ripperologists out there and yet I aspire to publish and learn. This is one of the greatest feilds of research I have been in, considering how tight and nitt this group is. Such a small community and wounderful to be apart of it.

Yes I am young and will be publishing an essay in the examiner this december and hopefully plan to do more.

The thing I hate about being young though, is being so far away from the pyshical ripperworld. I haven't met in person one friend I have made on here and have not been to one ripper conferense. I haven't even stepped out of the States.

I have said before that I wont reveal my age. I am 17 years old. There I did it. Don't think any different of me becuase of it.

Anyhow, thanks for the replies.

[Monty]

I was 12 when I started.

As Rob states, age is irrelevant.

Monty

[corey123]

Hello Monty,

Indeed. However, I am at a disadvantage with my generation. My generation is not of a very intellectual type(to my great distaste) and many in my generation are interested in very mundain things. Not many have a urge to gain knowledge on any particular subject, and I have yet to personally meet someone that shares my interests. That interest being of coarse Ripperology and psychology.

This website has done much for me and my life. It has helped shape my future, broadened my mind, and experiance life a way I never thought possible. If in 2006 my future self came to me telling me that I had published a essay about the victorian serial killer "Jack the Ripper" in a magazine I would have laughed my future self silly.

I guess it was fate then.

Anyhow, yes I confess, I am 17 years old and proud to say that I love this feild and subject and love speaking to each and every one of you(well most that is) and I am glad to call myself a member of this community. In fact I wouldn't have it any other way.

Yours truly

[Monty]

Very comendable Corey,

However, as the wise man said...'dont get cocky kid'.

No, I tease. When I was your age I had no one to share my interest either. Then came the internet and this site and things developed.

As they will for you.

Monty

[corey123]

Hello Monty,

Hopefully, I would hate to have to live in ripperworld behind the scenes forever. (however, things like you say are indeed picking up, this being that my first essay(not the last hopefully) may be in the examiner this december)

Yes I agree, cockieness is a curse. When I first joined this community, I admit I had a cocky additutude. However, I have since reconciled and learned that I am talking with the experts and that I have lots to learn(even though it seems that I have already learnt much).

I really hope this might not damage people's view of me in this community( If one is present heh heh). If they do, then oh well.

[Tom_Wescott]

do not take me less seriously than you would say Tom Wescott

Little chance of that happening.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

P.S. I'm still younger than most posters, dammit.

[corey123]

Hello Tom,

You know what I ment. I don't want people to veiw anyof my posts or work with an age bias as I know some will. This fear is why, up until now, I have refused to give my age.

Yours truly

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi Corey,

Yeah, but many of us are perceptive enough that we can tell much about a person from their posts...how they spell, what they say, what they don't say, what sub-topics interest them, etc. I'm not sure your age will come as a shock to that many people, and please don't find that offensive. Having read the rough draft of your profile, I can vouch for the fact that you've got much more going for you than most youngins.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Robert]

This case needs fresh blood...I mean, um....you know what I mean.

Corey, I actually died 10 years ago and it hasn't stood in my way at all. There is no anti-stiff bias on this site.

[corey123]

Hello Tom,

No offense taken. Yes I agree that it wouldn't come as a shock. I thank you with that comment, however, as I have said, I hate the word profile used to describe my essay .

This actually inspired me to explain why it isn't one.

Anyhow thanks again.

Hello Robert,

So you fall on the opposite side to this playing feild?

[Robert]

Hi Corey

No, only joking - I'm not as old as Howard Brown anyway.

I was about your age when Dan Farson's book came out. Unfortunately when I read it (and it was a good book) I decided he'd solved it, so that demotivated me a bit.

Who knows, you may see the ultimate solution in your lifetime.