Colton Harris-Moore: Sociology, True Crime, and Fame

I think that Colton Harris Moore is simply a criminal with an entertaining story. I don't think he's a hero because he didn't actually help people... which is usually what heroes do. From a literature point of view, I would say he's a protagonist that people are intrigued by and might even root for, but he isn't a hero. He is the main character and the story is about him, but to be realistic the large media presence was the reason people thought of him as a hero.

There are aspects of the story that Harris-Moore accomplished on his own by using his actions to grab other's attention. Everything he did was rather theatrical: stealing cars, flying planes, and leaving things like notes or chalk-drawn footprints at the scene. He also teased authorities, making them look foolish and him look like a hero. Even if he was an adult it would've been a captivating story, and him being only a teenager would grab even more people's attention. Of course, the media is also responsible for plenty of the conversation surrounding Harris-Moore. He had plenty of online friends and actually had some people rooting for him, I think part of this was because of the kind of media coverage he received, news anchors portraying him as if  he was some kind of illusive ghost that repeatedly evaded authorities.

My personal reaction to Colton Harris-Moore's story was mainly being entertained with every step, and impressed with the many escapades he managed to pull off without being caught. I do admit I was rather impressed with what he was able to do, especially flying the planes without prior training and not getting killed trying to land them. I don't think what he was doing was heroic, though, he was only on a search for adrenaline and didn't help anyone while doing so. I think many youth at the time could sort of relate to him, not personally but more on the basis of being young and wanting to be rebellious.

If I were one of the victims Harris-Moore stole from, I would be upset because my stuff was stolen and my privacy was violated, I think many would feel the same way if someone entered their home when they weren't there. Even though he didn't physically hurt anyone, he still stole from regular people who all have financial needs and whose material goods have value. He wasn't the "Robin Hood" figure that the media made him out to be, he wasn't going to give the money to anyone but himself. Even the rights to his life story he sold to 20th Century Fox wasn't enough to repay the debt he owes.

I do think that a lot of the public only knew about Harris-Moore because of the media sensationalism and glorification online. I think that's where his image of the Barefoot Bandit came from, the idealized view of a criminal was simply a product of the media's way of spinning the story. I think without the media's coverage of it, the Barefoot Bandit would simply be Colton Harris-Moore.

I think the documentary's use of telling the story using both interviews and an animated storyline was quite interesting, it was almost like watching both a documentary and a movie- which is an interesting take because Harris-Moore's story is sort of movie-like, or at least in it's portrayal. The plot structure is chronological besides the prologue at the beginning. The pattern usually goes from animated telling to an interview, sometimes from the victims themselves. The lighting in the animation gave a mysterious vibe because it was mainly dark out, adding suspense. Also adding suspense was the music and soundtrack, playing in the background of a high-energy chase or escape. Topics covered in the documentary were surrounding parenting, issues with authority, fame, and a constant search for adrenaline.