Amanda Knox and that kiss: Italians weep and wail at death while Americans do the splits and yoga
AMANDA Knox has tapped into the realisation that the media will not leave her in peace. That’s one view. Another is that she’s courting the media to make any conviction for her alleged part in the murder of Meredith Kercher less likely. What we believe boils down to whether or not we in the court of public opinion like her or not.
She’s been talking to the Times:
“OK, now it’s my turn. People asked me if I would change the book and I said absolutely not. In fact, the British publishers decided not to publish it in the UK for fear of new defamation suits because I said that I would not change it. I am not going to change my story just because someone is threatening to sue me, but I mean … it sucks.”
Facts are facts. They cannot be changed. A story, however, can be changed. Knox changed hers. And stories can be shaped. Why did she kiss her lover when police were investigating her flatmate’s gory murder in their shared home? in Perugia? Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito spent four years in prison for Kercher’s murder. Following an appeal their convictions were quashed. Then the Italian Supreme court announced that the appeal was no good. It has ordered a retrial.
So. Why did he kiss and cavort with her lover? (He’s also written a book.)
“That initial behaviour can be re-appropriated and then recharacterised to signify your guilt… The context of your behaviour is not taken into consideration, and then everything you do from then on is somehow seen in a sinister light. That video was cut and repeated so that all you see is a loop of me and Raffaele kissing over and over and over again. In fact I had not even accepted the reality of the situation so I just felt incredibly lost and I was sad and I was trying to understand, and Raffaele kissed me to console me because our language barrier prevented us from really being able to console each other with words.”
And:
“So people see a girl who is just kind of standing there looking lost and then her boyfriend kisses her, and in contrast they see one of my Italian flatmates Filomena crying hysterically, weeping, and has completely lost it because she spoke Italian and knew what was going on.”
She cried because she was Italian. He didn’t. He’s Italian. Knox also did the splits and struck yoga poses as she waited outside the police stayion. Is that what Americans do? Italians weep and wail when an flatmate is murdered. Americans do the splits. Knox makes it easy to for readers to make her a talking point.
What about her life in prison?
“…the gruesome thing that I was being held responsible for, so even Meredith’s friends and our flatmates had their memories of me tainted by suspicion and all of a sudden they started reconsidering their own memories of me in a way that would correspond with this theory that I was involved with Meredith’s murder”.
Quite. The Times adds:
Knox said that she had “dream-like” memories of being in the house while a local bar owner, Patrick Lumumba, killed Ms Kercher. Knox quickly retracted that statement.
Lumumba had an alibi for the night of the murder.
So. About the sex? Says Knox:
“Meredith had casual sexual relationships. So did I. Meredith wanted to study seriously. So did I.”
Fox became Foxy Knoxy. Here was a young woman who enjoyed sex. Misogyny would paint her darker.
So. Who did it? Who killed Kercher? Knox knows:
“With Rudy Guede’s hand print and footprint all in her blood and his DNA in her body, it is very heavily him everywhere and that makes me believe he was probably alone.”
She’s joining in with the speculation that the convicted Guede did not act alone. The prosecution agrees. It alleges Knox and Sollecito helped him. It’s a claim both vehemently deny. Meredith father, John Kercher, has his doubts, voiced in his own book.
“It is painful for me to read about how John Kercher believes that I am guilty and the fact that he is basing it on information that is not accurate, and that is heartbreaking to me. I read John Kercher’s book and that was kind of crushing for me. It would help if they could get some definitive answers about what happened to Meredith.”
She adds:
“That was also one of the sad parts about John Kercher’s book because of course Meredith fought for her life, but what can a girl do with a guy who has a knife? Really? He was an athletic guy and if he had a knife, what was Meredith going to do? Was she going to break out with karate? Even a guy can be overpowered by someone with a knife and she was a small girl, I would guess 120 llb.”
And:
“He only changed his story to start accusing Raffaele and me once he was arrested.”
Will he confess?
“I never give up hope, but so far he hasn’t proven to be that kind of person and I don’t know if he is going to take some time to reflect on what has happened in his life and realise the good that he could do,” she says. “But I’m not holding my breath.”
Kercher scored a $4 million (£2.6 million) advance from Rupert Murdoch’s HarperCollins. Murdoch owns the Times. He also owns SKy and film studios. Kerccer says she and her family have large debts becaue of the trials:
“The future is very unsure for me financially. I haven’t been able to pay my family back in full yet… I have been told that someone will make a movie anyway, so you might as well do it, but I don’t know how I would feel.”
Much more to follow…
Posted: 18th, May 2013 | In: Reviews Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
