Luka as an escape from reality

While what Luka allegedly did is very real, it’s almost surreal. It’s so far outside the realm of the ordinary that it seems more like the plot of a movie. An extraordinary plot I feel I have been sucked into. It’s like we’re all a part of a reality TV show directed by none other than Luka himself. Only it’s not reality. Half of this obsession takes place in our own heads, thinking about Luka, daydreaming of conversations we might have with him. The other half takes place in a place that also isn’t quite reality, the internet. Online we use false identities, be whoever we want to be, and say what we want to say, without fear of reprimand from those who know us personally. We share in joint fantasies of Luka, we share information and we support each other by being there to listen on a topic we can’t discuss openly in real life. It really is amazing how many of us have come together. Someone said to me online the other day how surreal it is that this topic has brought such a diverse group of us together. Without this event having taken place, none of us would be talking to each other right now.  We are spread out around the world. None of us would even ever know that the others exist as fellow human beings on this planet. Yet here we are, brought together by our common interest. The conversations we have are real. The people behind the computers are real too, even if many of the names are false. We understand each other and we have formed a community around that mutual understanding. A few of you I would even venture to call friends, friends I never would’ve met were it not for my adoration of Luka Magnotta.

But we must face it, many of us are definitely escaping reality with this obsession. I certainly recognize it in myself. I spend more time fantasizing lately than I spend being present in my life. I do realize that it’s a little excessive right now, but I don’t think it’s without value. For one thing, my constant obsession with Luka has distracted me from reality sufficiently to have maintained quitting smoking for 6 weeks now. I’m really not sure I would’ve made it this far without the distraction of Luka. Then there’s the fact that real life can be so boring and mundane. This obsession gives us a little much-needed excitement in our lives. And it’s harmless fun really, as long as one maintains some semblance of normality and fulfills ones responsibilities, we are not really hurting anyone by thinking about and supporting Luka. There are much worse things in life one could do to escape reality, drugs come to mind. Luka is our drug, and he may be highly addictive, but it’s not dangerous or illegal to support an alleged killer.

I haven’t met or heard of even one Luka supporter who appears to fall into the category of “Aggressive Hybristophilia”. Luka has not turned us into evil people. We are not out there committing murders and dismemberments on Luka’s behalf, we are not in some cult like the Manson girls. Most of us would never harm another human being! We are “Passive Hybristophiles”. We have empathy and adoration for Luka, but we do not think his alleged crimes are ok. We know the difference between right and wrong and generally follow the rules of society. But we just can’t help but think about Luka and feel supportive of his right to a fair trial and his right as a human being to be loved and cared for, to have friends.

While I may be living partially outside of the realm of reality at the moment, I wouldn’t change it for a world of having everything I’ve ever wanted. I’ve learned a lot about myself over this past month and I’ve met a lot of great people.