More and more I've come to realize that among the things that makes someone a lolcow. That gets them on our radar is an unquantifiable darkness. The sense of forboding that normal societal boundaries don't apply to them.
Believe me, I understand where you're coming from. However, I strongly believe that this take is about two or three steps too far.
Lolcows are more likely to be deviants than the average citizen, that much is without a doubt. Three elements that make frequently make a lolcow, mental illness, lack of self-control, and low intelligence, are all three strongly correlated with criminal behavior. Further, many exist in a state which human beings were not meant to exist, being terminally online, something which is neither good for mental or physical health.
However, to say that
every lolcow is secretly hiding an unquantifiable darkness is absurd, given the large range of individuals that are considered lolcows. There's an element of selection bias at play, as the most extreme examples jump into your mind while the unremarkable are unrecalled. Further, every move a lolcow makes is documented and scrutinized heavily.
Personally, as somebody who first became aware of Chris in 2008 or 2009, I don't think his crimes were all that shocking or out of character. I wouldn't have expected it to be his own mother, mind you, but I certainly would have
never allowed him unsupervised access to children out of similar fears. There were numerous red flags present with him, especially after his psyche deteriorated over many years.
On the other hand, Patrick here is a narcissist who derives much of his identity and sense of self-worth from his SFWA membership and being a published author. It's not remotely out of character for him to take an amoral path and look the other way, or pretend that those he's associated with aren't the things they're accused of despite evidence to the contrary. I don't think he'd ever engage in child abuse himself, but would he look the other way if a famous author he's associated with were accused of it? Absolutely. Patrick will always put Patrick first, though he's more of an amoral rather than immoral individual.
We find ourselve endeared to lolcows in certain circumstances, so we're incredibly disappointed when the funny retard does something inhuman. It disappoints us heavily, and it sticks with us. At the same time, genuinely believing every lolcow is secretly carrying an unquantifiable darkness is almost A-log behavior.
Do you
really believe that there doesn't exist a single harmless eccentric retard? I absolutely believe they exist. I'm not going to go to bat for anyone in particular, because I don't personally know them. At the same time, I'm sure that there are many lolcows that aren't secretly monsters capable of atrocities.
