Whitey Bulger and Ultimate Attribution Error

In light of Boston-born gangster Whitey Bulger's death, Vox published an article titled, "Whitey Bulger's Real Life Was Crazier Than The Movies." Like many other articles about Bulger's crimes, the Vox article details both bad and good aspects of Bulger. It includes details of his personality, his angsty childhood, and even mention of the belief that Bulger was a "Robin-Hood figure." His victims and effects on Boston are rarely discussed.

Movie poster for Black Mass portrays Bulger as powerful.
His victim is anonymous and a tool to make Bulger seem more powerful.

Whitey Bulger was a dangerous, racist, murderous criminal, but both news and entertainment media outlets always seem to glorify him. After reading about his brutal death and stories of his life, it makes me wonder how he would be portrayed if he wasn't cis-gendered and white.

If Whitey Bulger was Muslim, I don't think his story would be told the same. He would probably be framed as a terrorist, with discussion of his religious beliefs. If he were black, there would be little discussion of his childhood, or his rare acts of kindness toward his neighbors. His life would not be inspected, but only his negative actions.

The portrayal of Bulger is an example of ultimate attribution error. There is no broad discussion attributing Bulger's criminal history to his identity. There is no discussion that leads to feeling that all white men are like Bulger. There's Hollywood portrayals of his brutal upbringing and glorifications of his life as a criminal. With every report of his evil acts, there's a sense of sympathy with mentions of his background.

Instead of speaking with victims or those affected by Bulger's criminal acts,
news outlets like CBS sensationalize Bulger's death. 

There's only one article that I could find that discussed Bulger in an exclusively negative light. Published yesterday by the Boston Globe, 'Whitey' Bulger cemented Boston's racist image, discusses the fact that Bulger terrorized bussing advocates during the Boston Bussing Crisis. Racism in Boston is often undiscussed, probably because people in Massachusetts like to falsely think they are progressive (as someone from the area, I can attest. Also, this Daily Show clip, "How Racist is Boston?").  This article speaks the truth about Bulger and racism in Boston. It starts off with the author, Renee Graham, discussing her experience as a black woman moving to Boston during the bussing crisis. This is an example of how lived experience can effect reporting.