Crime & Police

James Holmes is cute tweets earn well deserved Twitter backlash

The Aurora theater shootings have generated plenty of sympathy online -- but also some twisted responses on the fringes. Now, in the tradition of Facebook tribute pages to James Holmes, the man accused of murdering twelve people and injuring dozens more at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises,...
By Michael Roberts
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The Aurora theater shootings have generated plenty of sympathy online — but also some twisted responses on the fringes. Now, in the tradition of Facebook tribute pages to James Holmes, the man accused of murdering twelve people and injuring dozens more at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, outlets are reporting about Twitter users who think he’s cute. The first tweets on this theme surfaced shortly after the news broke, when the photo above was released, generating responses like this one, posted at a time when there were thought to have been fourteen casualties:

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But they’ve continued even after the release of a mug shot depicting Holmes as dazed, glassy-eyed and sporting a mop of badly dyed hair. That got the attention of outlets like the New York Daily News, whose article on the subject features references to “Bonnie and Clyde syndrome.”

Not everyone has been amused by this phenomenon. Salon reports that one woman who tweeted that she found Holmes attractive received death threats. But in general, most Twitter users appalled by this mini-trend have limited themselves to expressing their personal disgust. Here are ten examples:

Page down to see more Twitter responses to tweets about James Holmes being cute.

More from our Aurora Theater Shooting archive: “Aurora theater shooting and Batman mythology: ‘Going Sane’ and ‘Case Study.’“

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword‘s news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

michaelrobertscolo@gmail.com
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