Liam Neeson’s fantasy is not abnormal. Many white men fantasize about somehow physically dominating black men and even killing them, and using the protection or the avenging of white women as an excuse. In those scenarios, Black men cease to be individuals or even human, and any Black male body will do.
I had a track coach in high school who coached me in jumping events and said he got “extra hype” before competing against Black athletes and loved defeating them. It is a similar principle.
Black men are the barometer against which men gauge their masculinity, and conquering one, even one who is unsuspecting, is a feat of primal masculine strength. In reality, Liam Neeson’s murder fantasy had nothing to do with his family member’s alleged rape at the hands of a Black man.
It had everything to do with dehumanizing Black men and wanting to subdue them. It motivates some white police officers who patrol Black communities to be abusive in their interactions with Black men.