MassDebate: Clark Rockefeller: Evil Mastermind or Total Douche?

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Bostonist doesn't like giving a lot of individual attention to alleged criminals, but the Clark Rockefeller story is just too weird to ignore. First a magnate, then an alleged murderer, now a messed-up German exchange student? That's quite a progression. Today we argue in favor of Clark Rockefeller as an evil mastermind; tomorrow we suggest he's just a shlub whose grandiose schemes were destined to unravel from the start.

We were suspicious of the story from the beginning: Clark Rockefeller? Only rich people have names like that, and even then it's always Clark Rockefeller III, or Clark Snootyname Rockefeller, or something of that sort. Clark Rockefeller as a name was just a little too good to be true. And then there were the kidnapping allegations. Bostonist understands family disputes, and of course feels that children should be kept apart from dangerous parents, but the Rockefeller story initially seemed more like a lonely dad allegedly taking his kid for a joy ride: not quite cause for front-page headlines up and down New England.

As more information came in, however, Rockefeller seemed worth some attention. The press connected him to murders, films, and--our favorite--gold bouillon. His child was (fortunately) rescued, freeing us to concentrate on the possible crimes of the father. The authorities finally figured out that Rockefeller was from Bergen, Germany; he'd escaped as an exchange student and never looked back--as himself or in any other guise.

So how did a kid from Germany manage to make himself into a wanted man with a multitude of aliases? Rockefeller's mastermindery appears to have been driven by dissatisfaction; even a shopkeeper from his hometown describes him as "lonesome, and not very nice.” Unhappy with who he was, Rockefeller had to invent other selves to become--none of them all that nice, as it turns out. As an exchange student, Rockefeller "was mad at us because we made him do his own laundry,” said a member of the family that housed him, and a fellow churchgoer in California recalls Rockefeller's "inappropriate interest in younger girls," including the congregant's own daughter.

All in all, a creep. But Rockefeller must also have been cunning to get away with the identity shifts he did, and to go so far as to start a family--and accumulate enough cash to lay down a half-mil in cashier's checks for a house. There's just no way a normal person could do this--morality or mere mix-ups about one's own lies would get in the way at some point. Rockefeller may be evil, but he was also a mastermind, duping friends, coworkers, and even (in a way) his own family. He got caught, sure, but that was due to trying to do too much--getting greedy and self-assured, allegedly grabbing his daughter in broad daylight.

Rockefeller's story is enough to make you wary about your co-workers, neighbors, classmates, and even friends. Are any of us really who we say we are? If Clark's done nothing else, he's raised suspicions--for better or for worse.