Reply to topic  [ 32 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Confessions of a Sociopath 
Author Message
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 6:06 pm
Posts: 11843
Reply with quote
Post Confessions of a Sociopath
If a sociopath writes a book called "Confessions of A Sociopath", are you getting the real story?

That's what I am constantly thinking as I read the book. You can't expect honesty from a sociopath, but you can expect deception. Would that extend to a "bare-your-soul" type book? I would think so. The ultimate game would be to manipulate the reader into believing that sociopaths aren't so bad after all, that they are only marginally different from the rest of humanity, and that they are perhaps a better version of a human that can lead the rest of us to a better society.

Yes, the advantages of being a sociopath are on display here. You can feel the arrogance, the superiority, the boasting, the smugness, the self-aggrandizement, the conviction, the belittlement of others, and the pompous flair.

Wait! Where have I seen that before? Oh, right, but I'm not talking about Zook here. We love him despite his flaws. Or maybe as our best defense.

The author of the book is a female. I seem to remember that male sociopaths outnumber female sociopaths by about 10 to 1. So female sociopaths are much rarer. Nevertheless, I actually know one personally, and she is a living nightmare (not at first, but eventually, when you are no longer fooled).

I popped over to the author's website, and sure enough, the same strategy is being pushed on the general public. Sociopaths are the cat's meow, dontcha know. Be there, or be square!

Quote:
Everything I learned about people's motivations, their expectations, desires, and emotional responses, was cataloged in my mind for later use. Therapy was a treasure trove in this respect. It taught me about what was expected of me as a normal person and therefore made me better able to disguise myself, to scheme my manipulations with greater precision. -- "Confessions of A Sociopath", page 95-96

_________________
It's not that we can't handle the truth. It's that they can't handle us if we know the truth.


Mon Aug 12, 2013 6:57 am
Profile
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 10:33 pm
Posts: 4156
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
Perhaps if I can add some biotech in my brain I wont have these feelings. Old humanity was so horrid. They ruined the planet with energy, war, religion and just incredibly paranoid. Animals. I enjoy this new order, this new clarity of thinking. Oops a had a feeling for something. Where is my Soma? Cant wait to work hard so I can earn that bio chip and get upgraded. Bless the new world.

_________________
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.


Mon Aug 12, 2013 6:42 pm
Profile
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 10:33 pm
Posts: 4156
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
Saudi prince defects: 'Brutality, oppression as govt scared
Saudi has an admitted 40000 political prisoners.  Wow and the king donated 100 million to the UN to fight terrorism.  I feel much safer now...  Glad i unplugged from that matrix of fear.  Dont have to worry about freedom of speech or being tagged as a dissident.  Whew...

Saudi prince defects: 'Brutality, oppression as govt scared

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-DsLo3D ... r_embedded

_________________
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.


Tue Aug 13, 2013 12:48 am
Profile
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 6:06 pm
Posts: 11843
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
It is the same playbook being used in Saudi Arabia as in the United States. The sociopaths are running both countries, and because of "The Deal" cut in the early 70s, they have become one. We will see the same oppression that is occurring in Saudi Arabia. The oppression there is just another test run for dealing with the American public.

_________________
It's not that we can't handle the truth. It's that they can't handle us if we know the truth.


Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:29 am
Profile
User avatar

Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 5:11 pm
Posts: 1400
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
If a sociopath writes a book called "Confessions of A Sociopath", are you getting the real story?

That's what I am constantly thinking as I read the book. You can't expect honesty from a sociopath, but you can expect deception. Would that extend to a "bare-your-soul" type book? I would think so. The ultimate game would be to manipulate the reader into believing that sociopaths aren't so bad after all, that they are only marginally different from the rest of humanity, and that they are perhaps a better version of a human that can lead the rest of us to a better society.

Yes, the advantages of being a sociopath are on display here. You can feel the arrogance, the superiority, the boasting, the smugness, the self-aggrandizement, the conviction, the belittlement of others, and the pompous flair.

Wait! Where have I seen that before? Oh, right, but I'm not talking about Zook here. We love him despite his flaws. Or maybe as our best defense.


Like I implied in our skype chat, Chico ... throwing the proactive ad hominem on the hook and fly-reeling for a reactionary bite, is your typical approach when dealing with the avuncular guy. Wait, I shouldn't speak in the third person so freely ... the great psychologist Chico has already pegged such style of thought as sociopathic. In any event, I was born in the sign of water ... not on the spine of fish ... but even If I were, you ain't Jesus enough to catch, let alone teach anyone to fish.
:jest:

So let me leave the bait alone and take the high road - yet again - for a gamble with the cliff edge. Simply put, what you describe above, namely, arrogance, superiority, boasting, smugness, self-aggrandizement, conviction, pompous flair, even the belittlement of others ... are not necessarily exclusive to sociopaths. More the further, many sociopaths are deceptively polite. False flag formality, as it were. I'm sure some of our most deeply disturbed individuals would make great fishing buddies. Shrub W comes to mind.

Quote:
The author of the book is a female. I seem to remember that male sociopaths outnumber female sociopaths by about 10 to 1. So female sociopaths are much rarer. Nevertheless, I actually know one personally, and she is a living nightmare (not at first, but eventually, when you are no longer fooled).


The 10 to 1 ratio looks like it came out of some social-engineering monkey's ass. I would argue that sociopathy is gender-neutral, because there is no possible way to scientifically judge otherwise. For instance, in days of yore, when men ruled public offices and women ruled the private coops ... the children were mostly wards of the female gender, e.g. during the soft-wiring developmental years.

The issue of sociopathic evolution then vectors into how one was born ... and how one became? And what were the influences in between.


Quote:
I popped over to the author's website, and sure enough, the same strategy is being pushed on the general public. Sociopaths are the cat's meow, dontcha know. Be there, or be square!

Quote:
Everything I learned about people's motivations, their expectations, desires, and emotional responses, was cataloged in my mind for later use. Therapy was a treasure trove in this respect. It taught me about what was expected of me as a normal person and therefore made me better able to disguise myself, to scheme my manipulations with greater precision. -- "Confessions of A Sociopath", page 95-96


The female sociopath in the above example speaks to the apparition of social radiance. One shouldn't confuse the disguise of normalcy for normalcy itself. If women appear ten times less sociopathic than men, who's to say that isn't the disguise? Most manipulations are done behind a mask. All roses plunge from a stem of thorns.

Indeed, Helen's face was alleged to have launched a thousand ships. True, her husband, Menelaus, had already solicited his friends' assistance to head out to sea in case of her abduction. But if she had been plain, would they have risked the adventure? Now, that doesn't mean Helen was a sociopath, still, it does illustrate the power of the feminine form.

What happens when this power is twinned with a sociopathic nature? How often is it twinned? How many broken males lay wasted in the shadows by the decisions of a sociopathic female? How many such males come out into the light and laugh like madmen at 10-to-1 ratios purporting this, that , and the other thing?

Wait ... is the avuncular guy being uncertain here? Cut it out, Zook! Get back into your pigeonhole of certitude!


Pax

_________________
Flight that sends into the clouds brings wings to rest upon the boughs. Then further down to the liquid lawn, to serve as sentries for the gliding swan. Curve, a perfect turning of the line between here and Heaven, with extensions into infinitum.


Tue Aug 13, 2013 3:35 am
Profile
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 6:06 pm
Posts: 11843
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
UncleZook wrote:
... throwing the proactive ad hominem on the hook and fly-reeling for a reactionary bite, is your typical approach when dealing with the avuncular guy.

Not really. It's not an ad hominem, but a real-life example. You might see it as some kind of contest, a game that we are playing, but I assure you that non-sociopaths don't operate that way. I wasn't looking for a reaction at all. I was simply comparing the behavior of a genuine sociopath with our beloved Zook. It's a lesson to help people recognize sociopathic behavior. It is not a deliberate attempt at disrespect. I would use myself as the example, if only the shoe fit.

UncleZook wrote:
Wait, I shouldn't speak in the third person so freely ... the great psychologist Chico has already pegged such style of thought as sociopathic.

No, I never did that. Speaking in the third person is not a characteristic of sociopathy.

UncleZook wrote:
So let me leave the bait alone and take the high road - yet again - for a gamble with the cliff edge. Simply put, what you describe above, namely, arrogance, superiority, boasting, smugness, self-aggrandizement, conviction, pompous flair, even the belittlement of others ... are not necessarily exclusive to sociopaths.

Agreed. But they are typical deviant behavioral traits that spring from a lack of empathy. When you see them all in abundance, you are likely dealing with a sociopath.

UncleZook wrote:
More the further, many sociopaths are deceptively polite. False flag formality, as it were.

Exactly. In public, they hide behind contrived normalcy. In private, the mask can drop, and the true beast can be unleashed, if they see they can get away with it. It is all very calculated.

UncleZook wrote:
The 10 to 1 ratio looks like it came out of some social-engineering monkey's ass. I would argue that sociopathy is gender-neutral, because there is no possible way to scientifically judge otherwise.

Yes, there is. It's called counting. And from the counts accumulated by numerous studies, there are many times more male sociopaths than female sociopaths. That's why it is not gender neutral. However, you are right that sociopathy is not determined by gender. Sociopaths themselves tend not to identify closely with their gender. It is their desire for power and control over others that they identify with, and they will use whatever gender role works best in pursuit of their immediate goal.

UncleZook wrote:
The female sociopath in the above example speaks to the apparition of social radiance. One shouldn't confuse the disguise of normalcy for normalcy itself.

Obviously. If one is normal, one doesn't have to pretend to be normal. Only the abnormal wishing to avoid identification have this need.

UncleZook wrote:
If women appear ten times less sociopathic than men, who's to say that isn't the disguise?

Women sociopaths are just as bad as the men. They are not ten times better at disguising themselves, or ten times less sociopathic. They are simply far less common in the population. You can see this in government as well. For every Hillary Clinton, there are numerous Kissingers, Cheneys, Rumsfelds, etc. How many women sociopaths in government can you name? I can only think of three -- Clinton, Rice, and Albright. And men? I could come up with dozens.

UncleZook wrote:
Now, that doesn't mean Helen was a sociopath, still, it does illustrate the power of the feminine form. What happens when this power is twinned with a sociopathic nature?

When you place sociopaths in positions of power and control, you get controlled mayhem, often mistaken by non-sociopaths as insanity.

_________________
It's not that we can't handle the truth. It's that they can't handle us if we know the truth.


Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:47 am
Profile
User avatar

Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 5:11 pm
Posts: 1400
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
UncleZook wrote:
... throwing the proactive ad hominem on the hook and fly-reeling for a reactionary bite, is your typical approach when dealing with the avuncular guy.

Not really. It's not an ad hominem, but a real-life example. You might see it as some kind of contest, a game that we are playing, but I assure you that non-sociopaths don't operate that way. I wasn't looking for a reaction at all. I was simply comparing the behavior of a genuine sociopath with our beloved Zook. It's a lesson to help people recognize sociopathic behavior. It is not a deliberate attempt at disrespect. I would use myself as the example, if only the shoe fit.


When Chico does it, it's not an ad hominem. The world accordion-ed by Chico. In any event, the shoe fits better on you than it does on me.

Quote:
UncleZook wrote:
Wait, I shouldn't speak in the third person so freely ... the great psychologist Chico has already pegged such style of thought as sociopathic.

No, I never did that. Speaking in the third person is not a characteristic of sociopathy.


Fair enough. The avuncular guy agrees.

Quote:
UncleZook wrote:
So let me leave the bait alone and take the high road - yet again - for a gamble with the cliff edge. Simply put, what you describe above, namely, arrogance, superiority, boasting, smugness, self-aggrandizement, conviction, pompous flair, even the belittlement of others ... are not necessarily exclusive to sociopaths.

Agreed. But they are typical deviant behavioral traits that spring from a lack of empathy. When you see them all in abundance, you are likely dealing with a sociopath.


Yes, the waffle science of defining sociopathy begins in earnest. Or is it the waffle arts? :jest:

Quote:
UncleZook wrote:
More the further, many sociopaths are deceptively polite. False flag formality, as it were.

Exactly. In public, they hide behind contrived normalcy. In private, the mask can drop, and the true beast can be unleashed, if they see they can get away with it. It is all very calculated.


Yes, but if we only see the polite public face, how can a sociopath be adjudged as such accurately? Let's chalk it to the waffle arts once more, shall we?

Quote:
UncleZook wrote:
The 10 to 1 ratio looks like it came out of some social-engineering monkey's ass. I would argue that sociopathy is gender-neutral, because there is no possible way to scientifically judge otherwise.

Yes, there is. It's called counting. And from the counts accumulated by numerous studies, there are many times more male sociopaths than female sociopaths.


I think we can all agree that statistics is a science that yields from the input parameters being studied; that statistics on behavioral sciences is a soft science bordering on pseudoscience.

Btw, the apparent gender disparity in the visible sociopaths can be attributed to the existing power imbalances in society. Has very little to do with sociopathy and mostly to do with power grabs. More males go for the public power grabs than do females. Females are generally content with domestic power grabs. There is no scientific evidence (other than psychometric studies in the duty of social designing) to suggest the existence of a gender gap in sociopathy.

I'm amazed by your certainty ... given your penchant for uncertainty.

Quote:
That's why it is not gender neutral. However, you are right that sociopathy is not determined by gender. Sociopaths themselves tend not to identify closely with their gender. It is their desire for power and control over others that they identify with, and they will use whatever gender role works best in pursuit of their immediate goal.


Your premise is flawed. Individuals rarely get to choose gender roles. Their roles are generally fixed by their gender. Given that, the practical desire for power and control in each sociopath is often checked by the roles they are afforded. Impractical desires notwithstanding.

Quote:
UncleZook wrote:
The female sociopath in the above example speaks to the apparition of social radiance. One shouldn't confuse the disguise of normalcy for normalcy itself.

Obviously. If one is normal, one doesn't have to pretend to be normal. Only the abnormal wishing to avoid identification have this need.

UncleZook wrote:
If women appear ten times less sociopathic than men, who's to say that isn't the disguise?

Women sociopaths are just as bad as the men. They are not ten times better at disguising themselves, or ten times less sociopathic. They are simply far less common in the population. You can see this in government as well. For every Hillary Clinton, there are numerous Kissingers, Cheneys, Rumsfelds, etc. How many women sociopaths in government can you name? I can only think of three -- Clinton, Rice, and Albright. And men? I could come up with dozens.


That's attributable to gender imbalances in public office. Not sociopathy. You would have been better off suggesting that there are many times more male sociopaths in public office than female sociopaths. But you went too far when you wrote, "Yes, there is. It's called counting. And from the counts accumulated by numerous studies, there are many times more male sociopaths than female sociopaths."

That view is simply not tenable except perhaps in behavioral studies, e.g. where the parameters are not complete or objective.


Quote:
UncleZook wrote:
Now, that doesn't mean Helen was a sociopath, still, it does illustrate the power of the feminine form. What happens when this power is twinned with a sociopathic nature?

When you place sociopaths in positions of power and control, you get controlled mayhem, often mistaken by non-sociopaths as insanity.


True. But there is one caveat ... the definition of the nonsociopath is no more apparent than the definition of the sociopath. In any event, you keep advertising yourself as a nonsociopath and, equally, keep implying that the avuncular guy is a sociopath. Some of your behavior here and elsewhere ... and much of my behavior here and elsewhere ... suggests that both adverts may be misleading. I would bet the barn on it.

:jest:


Pax

_________________
Flight that sends into the clouds brings wings to rest upon the boughs. Then further down to the liquid lawn, to serve as sentries for the gliding swan. Curve, a perfect turning of the line between here and Heaven, with extensions into infinitum.


Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:10 pm
Profile
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 6:06 pm
Posts: 11843
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
UncleZook wrote:
  • In any event, the shoe fits better on you than it does on me.
  • Yes, the waffle science of defining sociopathy begins in earnest.
  • Let's chalk it to the waffle arts once more, shall we?
  • ... statistics on behavioral sciences is a soft science bordering on pseudoscience.
  • There is no scientific evidence (other than psychometric studies in the duty of social designing) to suggest the existence of a gender gap in sociopathy.
  • That's attributable to gender imbalances in public office.

My, aren't we dismissive. Suit yourself. You always do. But a real truth-seeker will not.

_________________
It's not that we can't handle the truth. It's that they can't handle us if we know the truth.


Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:08 am
Profile
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 6:06 pm
Posts: 11843
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
Zook, I suppose I shouldn't be so subtle. You allow for gender gaps in public office but not in sociopathy. Sociopaths dominate public office. There couldn't be a direct cause and effect relationship there, could there?

Nah. "Waffle arts" precludes it.

You are something else, Zookie-san.

_________________
It's not that we can't handle the truth. It's that they can't handle us if we know the truth.


Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:40 am
Profile
User avatar

Joined: Fri May 06, 2011 5:11 pm
Posts: 1400
Reply with quote
Post Re: Confessions of a Sociopath
Zook, I suppose I shouldn't be so subtle. You allow for gender gaps in public office but not in sociopathy. Sociopaths dominate public office. There couldn't be a direct cause and effect relationship there, could there?


Let me see ... according to you ... gender roles that dominated human history to the point that suffrage for women is a recent phenomenon - in the grand scheme of things - should be ignored in pursuit of the Chicodoodooian TOE ... which essentially states that sociopathy is responsible for everything.

According to Chico, it seems, the idea that generally held public office until the beginning of the last century is a consequence of existing theories of gender roles (including hunting and gathering), is to be ignored; existing gender differences in reproductive biologies/strategies are to be ignored; existing alpha male instinctive hierarchy is to be ignored ... so that soft-science on a psychedelic bus tour can drop off a 10-to-1 ratio in the sociopathic makeup of men over women, into the discourse room and solve the problem of why the world is fubar, today.

Quote:
Nah. "Waffle arts" precludes it.
You are something else, Zookie-san.


Nope. I must insist that you are something else.

Pax

_________________
Flight that sends into the clouds brings wings to rest upon the boughs. Then further down to the liquid lawn, to serve as sentries for the gliding swan. Curve, a perfect turning of the line between here and Heaven, with extensions into infinitum.


Wed Aug 14, 2013 6:53 am
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic   [ 32 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by STSoftware.