Media Close Reading
Published November 11, 2019
Alleged serial killer Khalil Wheeler-Weaver on trial for three New Jersey murders
“…less than human, less valuable” according to whom?
This is important. The article’s implication is that these are Wheeler-Weaver’s (aka the alleged killer’s) thoughts on young black female sex workers.
But that doesn’t track. He was trying to kill people after all, so it matters that they’re people. So ostensibly, Wheeler-Weaver views young black female sex workers as plenty human for his purposes.
So why pick young black female sex workers? Because “…less than human, less valuable” — this is how society values them, NOT Wheeler-Weaver.
Wheeler-Weaver wanted to kill people. He knew that young black female sex workers would not be missed. That’s not an individual pathology, that’s taking advantage of the institutional pathology of modern society.
Wheeler-Weaver is a problem. But he is not the problem1.
From the same article: 
“Handsome” is why you’ll never understand. “Handsome” means nothing.
This isn’t about how things look, this is about how the way things look is the only thing that seems to matter.