Sociopathic Creep

There was a quote on the blurb of Forrest Gump by flagrant neocon PJ O'Rourke;

Winston Groom has created the ideal citizen for the modern world- a perfect idiot

Not quite what I took from the book. It read to me more like poking fun at those of us who have supposed intellectual superiority, yet achieve little compared to the Candide like FG, because he's too "stupid" to know what he's not supposed to be able to do. It's just occurred that hits a note of poignancy, in reverse for fatz, put off doing certain things outside the remit of the construct we've lived.

But I digress.

I never agreed with O'Rourke because I did not feel that was today's ideal citizen, though I can't remember what if any I thought was at the time.

Yet years before this, I'd contemplated the on coming attractions of the sociopath. Having already spent so much time in the death by a thousand cuts that is social interaction whilst fat, I felt like I cared way too much and wished I couldn't care less. I'm taking for granted that you know this refers to a mental type, rather than KILLERZZZZ.

They keep telling us this but I worked that out when then, that it didn't make sense that they were by necessity, criminals and brigands. I'd observed at least a couple of suspects a child. I'm sure we all have. A boy who couldn't get why his sister cried out in pain when he applied pressure.

I could see it not computing. That it seemed as if her distress seemed kind of fake or unmoving. I remember being intrigued by that, it hadn't occurred to me that anyone could doubt another's genuine distress. It was like something was blocking that information from being absorbed. Like water that sits atop a sheet of rubber.

This has always drawn the popular imagination as a model of the anti hero. Culminating in a characters like Dexter and Hannibal. The dream of being liberated from untidy and draining emotions is very real. There's even our perhaps increasing identification with not fitting in and awareness of difference.

There's has been a distinct sense that this interest has intensified. To the point of using them for tips on how to live, though that's somewhat satiric I'm sure.

What's even more intriguing is how much is the sociopath a discrete type? Or is it more of a scale? How much sociopathy, if any, is there in us all? John Eden a psychology professor;

“saying someone is a psychopath or not is drawing a bit of an arbitrary line in the sand,”

Suggesting that all people likely possess a certain amount of sociopathic potential, some just more pronounced than others or balanced by other contrary traits.

I mean, I'm pretty sure you could trace all personality or mental types, mental disorders (yes I know they're not the same) to aspects of the human character and mental functioning, in extremis. We can see for example that all ED's probably make up the full variations of different aspects of eating, gone awry.

And there's no question the crusade has unleashed many people's inner sociopath;

Sociopathy is a personality disorder that manifests itself in such traits as dishonesty, charm, manipulation, narcissism, and a lack of both remorse and impulse control.

Sound familiar? No? Okay, what about;
[a]......favorite preferred sociopathic pastime is “ruining people.”

 Haven't you felt that?

...time she has spent going out of her way to toy with other people’s emotions.“I know my heart is blacker and colder than most people’s; maybe that’s why it’s tempting to break theirs,” she writes. [ME Thomas]

Yep, ME as in MeMe. We all know how much some people hate fat people's lack of unhappiness, considering especially the pressure we've been put under. There is not even hidden sense of people gunning not just for our unhappiness, but outright depression, sickness and suffering. This is in open view and is repellent.

I have felt a sense of being dragged down to the level of those doing the tugging, though they'd never admit that.

women are especially subject to misdiagnosis because of the lack of research on the disorder outside the prison system.

I reckon studying the way people cannot identify properly with how fat people feel could be a useful pointer.

First of all, find a reason where it is 'necessary' to disassociate yourself from what someone is or is associated with. i.e. Fat/fatness. On fear that you will enter this, to you, undesired state.

Then define them solely from the outside in, making sure they share this perception just as much. Having defined them as disease, silence them, by claiming everything they say is disease talking so must be dismissed as worthless.

Frame them solely as a costly drain and not contributing anything to the economy. See them as bad. Erase when they got it right and you got it wrong. Make sure any authentic self representation sounds fake by deciding exactly what that is, in your own head.

So their representation of reality sounds false.

This way, you can't relate to them, distance/disassociation. Cease to be able to grasp they have feelings and thoughts of their own, outside those you assign. Set yourself as the human standard which they must be seen by themselves and others as failing to meet.

I think we can see the romanticizing of sociopathy is BS right?

It'll pass.