tagged w/ Psychopathy
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Ayn Rand’s “philosophy” is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society….To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.— Gore Vidal, 1961
Thanks in part to Rand, the United States is one of the most uncaring nations in the industrialized world.
Only rarely in U.S. history do writers transform us to become a more caring or less caring nation. In the 1850s, Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was a strong force in making the United States a more humane nation, one that would abolish slavery of African Americans. A century later, Ayn Rand (1905-1982) helped make the United States into one of the most uncaring nations in the industrialized world, a neo-Dickensian society where healthcare is only for those who can afford it, and where young people are coerced into huge student-loan debt that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.
Rand’s impact has been widespread and deep. At the iceberg’s visible tip is the influence she’s had over major political figures who have shaped American society. In the 1950s, Ayn Rand read aloud drafts of what was later to become Atlas Shrugged to her “Collective,” Rand’s ironic nickname for her inner circle of young individualists, which included Alan Greenspan, who would serve as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board from 1987 to 2006.
In 1966, Ronald Reagan wrote in a personal letter, “Am an admirer of Ayn Rand.” Today, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) credits Rand for inspiring him to go into politics, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) calls Atlas Shrugged his “foundation book.” Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) says Ayn Rand had a major influence on him, and his son Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is an even bigger fan. A short list of other Rand fans includes Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; Christopher Cox, chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission in George W. Bush’s second administration; and former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford.
But Rand’s impact on U.S. society and culture goes even deeper.
(much more at link)Ayn Rand’s “philosophy” is nearly perfect in its immorality, which... more
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Tampa, FL (PRWEB) November 07, 2011
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k86q25k2278188gw
A new study by Marcus Arvan, PhD appearing in the peer-reviewed research journal, Neuroethics, shows conservative value judgments on the death penalty, gay marriage, free markets, the right to go to war against UN resolutions, and detention of suspected terrorists without trial, to be related to three dark and anti-social personality traits: Machiavellianism (deception), narcissism (overinflated sense of self-worth), and psychopathy (absence of guilt or remorse). No significant relationships were found between these dark traits and liberal judgments on any moral issue.Tampa, FL (PRWEB) November 07, 2011... more
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The new conservative battle cry is that the upper classes are under attack by a mob of have somes and have nots. But, if there's a class war going on the poor have clearly lost. It's tempting to think the class warriors are all about simple greed and avarice - just poor little schmoes who feel the need to waggle their tiny dicks in the face of mankind, but their behavior runs deeper than that.The new conservative battle cry is that the upper classes are under attack by a mob of... more
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Imagine a person who does what he wants, regardless of how it affects other people. He refuses to take responsibility for his own mistakes, and he believes he's unbeatable at anything he undertakes, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Sounds like a textbook narcissist, right? Well, these days, it also sounds a lot like the United States.
Narcissism is on the rise in the US. It's likely to get worse before it gets better, and the economic consequences will likely be severe. Americans today are happy to spend rather than sacrifice, leaving future generations with the bill instead of accepting higher taxes themselves. They choose to keep bathing in a sea of cheap credit rather than cracking down on the practices and institutions that led to the financial crisis. And all along, they insist that their economic system is the best even while neglecting future investments in the very things that make a productive society: education, infrastructure, and scientific research.
So how did this happen? In their book, The Narcissism Epidemic, Jean M Twenge and W Keith Campbell find the origins of self-obsession in the 1960s, when people began to cast off societal constraints and expectations in favour of exploring their own human potential. This movement did not begin with a purely narcissistic slant, yet by the 1970s it had morphed into self-admiration, self-expression, and self-absorption. In the 1980s those qualities gave way to self-centredness and self-indulgence, and it was all downhill from there.
Psychologists have been tracking narcissism through surveys of American college students since the late 1970s, and levels of it — often measured as a lack of empathy — have never been higher, according to Sara Konrath, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Research Centre for Group Dynamics. "If you look at the levers in society, almost all of them are pushing us towards narcissism," she says. These levers go beyond Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, which offer endless opportunities for self-admiration. They also include advertising that tells consumers "You're worth it" and reality TV shows that turn regular people against each other in a battle for celebrity.
(read it all at link)Imagine a person who does what he wants, regardless of how it affects other people. He... more
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Dr. Robert Hare claims there are 300,000 psychopaths in Canada, but that only a tiny fraction are violent offenders like Paul Bernardo and Clifford Olsen. Who are the rest? Take a look around....
According to popular wisdom, psychopaths are crazed and bloodthirsty serial killers. The reality is not so simple. While many psychopaths do commit violent crimes, not all psychopaths are criminals and not all criminals are psychopathic. Psychopaths are found in many walks of life and are often successful in competitive professions. However they are also ruthless, manipulative and destructive. Equinox reports on techniques developed by psychologists to work out whether a person is psychopathic and shows how brain scientists are coming close to mapping the malfunctions in the brain that cause a person to be a psychopath.
In Britain one person in 200 is likely to be a psychopath. However psychopaths are thought to be responsible for half of all reported crimes and to make up between 15% and 20% of the prison population. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/11914-psychopaths-among-usDr. Robert Hare claims there are 300,000 psychopaths in Canada, but that only a tiny... more
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worrg
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added this
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1 year ago
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I make the effort to share this information because it gives me, at last, a plausible answer to a long-unanswered question: Why, no matter how much intelligent goodwill exists in the world, is there so much war, suffering and injustice? It doesn’t seem to matter what creative plan, ideology, religion, or philosophy great minds come up with, nothing seems to improve our lot.
>>> The following are quotes from the full article. Please click the link for the full article... it will be worth your time. > The above quotes are from the full article. Please click the link for the full article... it will be worth your time. I make the effort to share this information because it gives me, at last, a plausible... more
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Spotting them in a crowd is not possible, as they look like normal people; in fact most of them are soft-spoken and polite. Their monstrousness comes through only in their personalities, actions and habits.Spotting them in a crowd is not possible, as they look like normal people; in fact... more
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Mike Malloy, Nova M Radio, http://novamradio.com/ , interviews Dr. Justin Frank, the author of "Bush on the Couch". Dr. Frank is a practicing psychoanalyst in Washington, and is on the faculty of the George Washington University Medical School. This is part of an hour-long interview from Malloy's radio show.Mike Malloy, Nova M Radio, http://novamradio.com/ , interviews Dr. Justin Frank, the... more
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