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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Real Reason for America's Degeneracy in the Past 3 Decades: The Incredible Increase
of mentally ill people holding high positions in both government and the
corporate world. Here is a very convincing article:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30892.htm
provis99
(13,062 posts)I found they are generally rich sociopaths, obsessed with greed and control of poor people's lives, and filled with hatred for anybody but their own clique. Sort of the way I imagine the old British Rhodesian colonists must have been.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)tabatha
(18,795 posts)And the Afrikaners in South Africa, for the most part, were hardly rich at all. Many of them were dirt poor.
In South Africa, the money belonged to the big mining houses such as AngloAmerican, Gold Fields, etc - most of the businessmen were English. The Afrikaners were mostly farmers, and got into business late.
And just for the record, although denied their rights in Rhodesia, the native populations were treated better than they were in South Africa. Not good enough, but better. They are treated far worse now under Mugabe.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)Imperalist ,superior attitude ,more than wealth or social standing ,but thanks for the distiction.
tabatha
(18,795 posts)The British were.
The Afrikaners fled religious persecution, and thought they had found their promised land.
Rhodes wanted to paint Africa red (British) from Cape to Cairo, and was probably more of a sociopath, and definitely an imperialist.
The Afrikaners were more afraid of losing their country, and PW Botha was the embodiment of the "strength" that the Afrikaners wanted to help protect their lands.
I would say Mugabe is a sociopath and a psychopath.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)native South Africans ,and being Dutch and German .they sort of were , imperialists and usurpers , whilst having a war with other usurpers ,the British.http://geography.about.com/od/southafricamaps/a/southafrica.htm
tabatha
(18,795 posts)The US was populated by people fleeing religious persecution, imprisoned native Americans, fought with them whilst having a war with other usurpers (the British), etc. The similarities are many.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)It makes some good points but is very right wing in its conclusions. I disagree with the zany conclusions drawn by the author.
Taxing the rich is not sociopathic. It's fair in a society in which sociopaths so easily and heartlessly grab the wealth from those who are less narcissistic and cruel.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)where his ideas are in full flower.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)actually paying a lower percentage of taxes than the middle-class. The main emphasis of Casey's
article is on the fact that there are too many sociopaths in government, and how they are
bringing our nation down. This alone, and coming from a Libertarian, is admitting a lot.
I, too, feel that some of the examples he mentions are not correct. And I don't agree with
his opinion that the damage done by the sociopaths has already passed the point of no
return. I am more hopeful and optimistic than that. But I do feel that we are very close to
reaching the point of no return.
I don't agree with several smaller points of the author, but I do feel that the main thrust of his
article is worthwhile paying attention to.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)do. This, to me, is criminal. The rich should be paying at least the same amount -- not less.
In all fairness, they should be paying a higher amount than their employees do.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)until age 80 misanthrope sociopaths of good breeding and education ,who can make any adversary feel inferior ,like a heatseek missle destroying anything or anyone that stands in their way ,so called " Winners "
meow2u3
(24,757 posts)Sociopaths aren't sick, but evil.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)development became arrested at the age of that of a child. The younger the child, the more
primitive his/her morality. Very likely sociopathy has both a genetic and environmental
back-ground. Sociopaths are not known to respond to therapy of any kind thus far.
Not many years ago a test has been developed that can identify sociopaths.
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)Not a single one of the candidates shows humaneness. Not one.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)up of sociopaths. But there is also a regular lab test.
A group of randomly chosen people are shown a movie of cruelty and sadism. The average person
finds it extremely unpleasant and distasteful. There is an area in the brain that becomes more active,
this is the dis-pleasure center. And its activation is shown by an increase of blood suppy entering that
part of the brain. It shows up in a RMI image as an enlargement of the arteries supplying that brain area.
The sociopath, however, does not find cruelty and sadistic scenes unpleasant. There is no enlargment
of the arteries supplying the dis-pleasure center of their brain. ON the other hand, if they should be
enjoying the brutal scenes of torture, the PLEASURE CENTER OF THE BRAIN, which is found in a
different brain area, begins to show enlargement of the arteries supplying it.
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)Cal33
(7,018 posts)Last edited Sat May 2, 2015, 06:52 PM - Edit history (1)
of frogs, throwing them up in the air, and watching them explode. In college fraternity
initiation rights, he'd burn the new students between the buttocks with a red hot
laundry coat-hanger wire. As governor of Texas he had reduced the death sentence
of just one inmate out of the 132 cases that were reviewed by him.
I think he really should have been impeached when Nancy Pelosi had the chance, but
she didn't do it. Sociopaths should be punished when they commit crimes. This is the
only thing they fear. It's the only thing that prevents them from perpetrating further
crimes, since they receive no guidance from their own defective consciences.
A large percentage of sociopaths are prison inmates. Only a few of these are big-time
politicians and corporation executives. The Democrative leadership should know that
being soft on them only makes them laugh at you. And by the way, there are
Dem. politicians who are sociopaths, too. I think they are fewer in number and
perhaps also less vicious in the degree of their sociopathy.
cali
(114,904 posts)Anywhere. On any subject.
It is an affront to reason.
just yikes.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)I hate lying made up stupid shit no matter why it's employed.
An example of the fucking idiocy blooming from the article:
"Conditions for them in the US are becoming quite favorable. Have you ever wondered where the 50,000 people employed by the TSA to inspect and degrade you came from? Most of them are middle-aged. Did they have jobs before they started doing something that any normal person would consider demeaning? Most did, but they were attracted to not repelled by a job where they wear a costume and abuse their fellow citizens all day."
It doesn't get much stupider than that, folks.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)this article would have struck you quite differently, I think.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Casey
cali
(114,904 posts)poorly written. abjectly lacking in critical thinking. I absolutely stand by my initial assessment- and I read the entire rank piece of idiocy carefully.
quaker bill
(8,223 posts)of undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and I find the article to take a grain of truth and turn it into utter tripe.
It is true that sociopaths are attracted to power. It is also true that few of them have the requisite skills to obtain power.
The TSA guys were generally just rent-a-cops looking for better pay, regular work, and a pension plan.
Economists and the DSRM are a bad mix
Cal33
(7,018 posts)"Conditions for them in the US are becoming quite favorable...." How do you interpret this sentence?
I interpreted it as meaning that "Conditions for THE SOCIOPATHS in the US are becoming quite favorable."
And I agree with him. Haven't you ever heard of air passengers complain of the long wait at airports, and of
being searched, some were stripped naked, almost all had to go through x-ray machines ... all of which were
humiliating for anyone, and for women especially.
And the author of the article, Casey, added to the above that the average person would consider doing such
a job of humiliating people (doing body search) low and demeaning, but many of the sociopaths did not.
They were actually attracted to - not repelled by - such a job. (I can understand that people who have been
unemployed for some time would be glad to take any job just to put food on their family table. But these same
people would probably quit this job for a better one as soon as one shows up. And yes, Casey has also
suggested that there are other ways of keeping our airports secure from terrorists).
I think the above description by Casey is quite accurate in most cases. Bush Jr. sure did what he could
to put more sociopaths in control -- not only in the higher positions, but also in the lower ones.
And have you read the 7 decriptions he made of the behaviors typical of sociopaths? Quite accurate, I think.
The main point of this whole article is about sociopaths trying to, and to a large extent, succeeding in taking
over power in the USA, as well as the damage they have done and are continuing to do to our nation. The
Republican leadership is largely made up of sociopaths. I think he is right.
One of the points I disagree with Casey is that he thinks we have already reached the POINT OF NO RETURN.
In short, he thinks the sociopaths have already won. I think we haven't reached that point yet. I am more
hopeful and optimistic. But we are close to it. I believe we still have a chance -- especially if the Democrats
should win this coming November.
I believe the November, 2012 Election is the most critical one we have ever faced thus far.
If you consider this as stupid, it's your privilege. I think the article, taken as a whole, is a very good one.
fascisthunter
(29,381 posts)BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)arthritisR_US
(7,282 posts)gobbidy goop.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)That is usually if not always the case and usually if not always has been.
But wanting to impose taxes is not an indication that you are a sociopath. To the contrary, not wanting to pay taxes and support those less fortunate as well as public endeavors are indications that you are a sociopath.
People who care support those institutions in society that help everyone live better. Sociopaths don't care. In fact, a lot of libertarians (now, not all) are closet if not open sociopaths.
arthritisR_US
(7,282 posts)but wish I had. Given the premise that libertarians base their ideology on, you have turned the author's own words on their head. That I enjoyed, thank you
cali
(114,904 posts)arthritisR_US
(7,282 posts)finger at all the sociopaths he forgot the four fingers pointing back at himself. An absolute nimrod
Codeine
(25,586 posts)This article is an affront to any thinking person. Shame on you for posting such a bizarre RW screed.
cali
(114,904 posts)for some reason this kind of crap gets posted fairly frequently- though I'd be hard pressed to think of anything worse.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)pretty good, coming from a Libertarian. In fact, it's a pleasant surprise. Such people as
author Casey should be encouraged.
cali
(114,904 posts)really, it's hard to imagine a worse piece of shit.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)wouldn't have guessed that he was a Libertarian. When I wrote "he should be encouraged,"
I sort of had the notion that if he wasn't the dyed-in-the-wool type of Libertarian, maybe
he could be encouraged to change.
Well, you and others apparently know him better than I do. But I certainly agree with what
he has written in this article about the vast number of sociopaths and their stranglehold
influence on our government.
BiggJawn
(23,051 posts)Cal33
(7,018 posts)lean towards some trait or other, or perhaps even more than one. Sociopathy is
an illness or disorder.
Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)At least, not in the usual sense. A mental illness can be cured or, at least, treated in various ways. I suffer from mental illness (Coincidently, I'm also studying criminal psychology). The sociopath has a personality disorder which is a slightly different thing. Unlike the mentally ill, they can't be cured. It's more like a birth defect than a normal mental illness but there is no cure and treatment is inconclusive at best.
But you're entirely correct that there is a disproportionatly large number of functional sociopaths in the upper levels of politics (and business). The traits which lead to a diagnosis of sociopathy (superficial charm, shallow affect, utter lack of empathy, guilt or remorse) are traits which modern politics and business select for.
Cal33
(7,018 posts)see msgs. 38 and 44 immediately above.
Sociopathy is a Personality Disorder, yes. A major depression is a Mood Disorder. Schizophrenia is a
Psychotic Disorder. I think "Disorder" is a general descriptive term. The treatability of a particular
disorder is something else.
Below I am quoting from an earlier message of mine in this same thread:
<< 18. Not many doubt that a high percentage of the so-called "Republican" leadership is made
up of sociopaths. But there is also a lab test that was discovered not many years ago that
can be used to identify sociopathy:
A group of randomly chosen people are shown a movie of cruelty and sadism. The average person
finds it extremely unpleasant and distasteful. There is an area in the brain that becomes more active,
this is the "dis-pleasure center," and its activation is shown by an increase of blood suppy entering that
part of the brain. It shows up in a RMI image as an enlargement of the arteries supplying that brain area.
The sociopath, however, does not find cruelty and sadistic scenes unpleasant. There is no enlargment
of the arteries supplying the dis-pleasure center of their brain. On the other hand, if they should be
enjoying the brutal scenes of torture, the PLEASURE CENTER OF THE BRAIN, which is found in a
different brain area, begins to show enlargement of the arteries supplying it.