(All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. -Arthur Schopenhauer)
A Brief Essay About Politicians by Norman K. Breslow v1.5a
Bottom Line: All politicians are sociopaths. No exceptions. If your mommy is a politician, your mommy is a sociopath, says I. Got it? If you're skeptical, or think I'm being outrageous to get your attention, hopefully by the time you finish reading the following three pages, you'll understand the seriousness and accuracy of my position. Keep reading and learn some things about politicians and lawyers and talk show hosts and...
I started writing this essay āway back in 1993, because I found myself getting very irritated listening to politicians being interviewed on radio and television shows. Speak about crazy people. Well, to be more accurate, they are personality disordered, not necessarily crazy. What really upsets me is that no one, except for me, seems to realize that politicians are at best sociopaths, and at worst, flat out crazy. Since the news people and talk show hosts who interview politicians are presumably well educated, I assume that they all managed to cut the same lecture given in their college introductory psychology 101 class, the one that discussed the different types of sociopaths.
One type of sociopath is the ācon manā. The "con" in con man stands for "confidence". A con man gets your confidence. He is charismatic (charming), and slick as glass, he lies with a straight face at the drop of a hat, and isn't concerned about tomorrow. Tomorrow he'll worry about tomorrow. Today he'll say whatever is necessary to make the sale, make the deal, defraud the mark.
Successful politicians get your confidence, they are charismatic, slick as glass, lie with a straight face, and aren't concerned about the future, with the exception of worrying about getting reelected. They say what people want to hear. The politician will say whatever is necessary to get your vote. No kidding.
I'll assume that you are a normal person. If you are, would you like to run for public office? And have your competition spread rumors, lies, and a few truths about you? Do you want to make ādealsā with unsavory characters to get campaign donations? Do you think you could walk down the street and not be embarrassed about what people say and think about you after hearing what the competition says to smear you? You know, about your "sick" sex interests, or your "drinking problem", or that you are a homosexual, or that you're not a homosexual, or that you beat your kids, or that you once sold illegal drugs, or that your spouse sleeps around, or that you don't care that kids get hooked on cigarettes because you take tobacco industry money, even if you don't, or that you or your spouse had an abortion, or that you're involved with organized crime, or...
Would you place your kids in the position of taking heat at school because of what is said about you, even if none of these things are true? A normal person wouldn't allow himself or his family to be placed in that position. He wouldn't allow himself to be held up to public ridicule. He wouldn't allow himself to be the butt of jokes on the late night talk shows. He just couldn't deal with the psychological pressure. An abnormal person can place himself in that position, because some parts of his brain, such as the conscience, just don't operate correctly. You see, the part of the brain which makes a person fully human, capable of empathy, capable of embarrassment, capable of having guilt feelings, is missing.
If you need someone to explain to you what a conscience is, and what guilt feelings feel like, you're a sociopath. If you're not sure what empathy is, it's the ability to put yourself in someone elseās situation, to relate to them and literally feel the emotions that go along with their situation. Itās the ability to identify with someone elseās situation.
The most important thing to remember about a sociopath is that he or she doesn't have a conscience, which for the purposes of this essay means having a sense of right and wrong. The conscience has been described as an internal policeman. One that goes with you wherever you go, and lets you know if you're doing wrong, or about to. And without a conscience, there are no guilt feelings. A person lacking a conscience doesn't know what guilt feelings feel like. And so, without a conscience and without empathy, the sociopath can lie/cheat/steal/etc., and not care about the effect his actions will have on others. And not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable if he is caught lying or cheating or stealing. All he cares about is whether or not he gets what he wants.
Alongside sociopaths are the psychopaths, who are like sociopaths but who commit violent crimes. Think āmafiaā and gang members. Psychopaths differ from sociopaths only in that they are violent. Besides that, they are the same type of personality. They have no sense of right vs. wrong, or fair vs. unfair. As mentioned earlier, they have no conscience, no internal policeman letting them know when they are out of line. Without a conscience, a person isnāt fully human, and a person who isnāt fully human is a subhuman. For many normal people, it's difficult to imagine that such subhumans really exist. Unfortunately, they do.
Only sociopaths will end up in political life, because only those subhumans can ignore the "shame" that others would find paralyzing when the opposition smears them. Because they have no conscience, and so no guilt feelings, and no feelings of embarrassment, they donāt really care what others say about them, although they may pretend to. And they can't relate to other peopleās emotions, because they lack empathy. And only they can lie convincingly, without swallowing hard and starting to sweat and stammering, and blushing. Only sociopaths can lie convincingly, time after time after time.
Now, back to the question of why interviewers seem to ignore the fact that the politicians they are interviewing are, well, psychological cripples. Not fully human. Subhuman. I'm sure there is a reason. Maybe it's professional courtesy, and the interviewer's intention not to scare away other politicians because he asks tough questions, and doesn't make nice-nice. If that's the answer, then for high ratings, he'll mislead his audience.
Not only do sociopaths lack a conscience and lack empathy, they lack a feeling or concept of fairness. You see, when little children play, itās not uncommon to hear one shout, āNo fair, no fair, you stepped on the line,ā or something like that. Or, one child might say that it isnāt fair that another child wasn't invited to a birthday party. This concept of fair and unfair seems to be built into childrenās brains. Therefore, fairness is a built-in human emotion. Politicians not only lack a conscience, but do not have the emotion of fairness. Fair and unfair are meaningless to them. Only what will score them political points is what matters to them.
(People who study the brain believe they have found that part of the brain where the concept of fairness, associated with the conscience, is located. Itās called the Lateral Frontal Pole. Tests involving brain scans are being developed which one day will be able to detect a sociopath's brain from a normal person's brain.)
It is important to keep in mind that while all politicians are sociopaths, not all sociopaths become politicians. Probably more sociopaths are attracted to the legal profession than to politics, and then some realize that there are more goodies available to a politician than to a "lowly" lawyer, and so they make the transition into politics. This might explain why so many politicians are also lawyers, or at least have graduated from a law school. You are probably aware that lawyers aren't known for their sense of fairness or for their honesty, but they are known for being liars, which the stand-up comedians joke, āHow do you know when a lawyer is lying? When his lips are moving!ā attests to. Just change lawyer to politicianā¦
In summary, politicians lack a conscience, which makes them subhuman. They donāt care about other people, only about themselves, ācause they lack the emotion of empathy. Sociopaths have varying levels of charisma, that is, they are charming, and they are instantly liked by others for no particular reason. This ability to instantly get people to like and trust them is believed to be the result of a pheromone which causes other people to like and trust them. A pheromone is an aroma which isnāt consciously noticed, but which does effect the person who does notice the scent without consciously realizing it. (Hard to believe, but pheromones really do exist.)
Why sociopaths emit those pheromones is unknown, but I strongly suggest that when you meet someone who you instantly like and trust, who gives you the feeling, āI really like this guyā, you make a note that you are probably chatting with a sociopath, and you should run like hell.
Why some people are sociopaths is unknown. Most shrinks believe that there is a genetic factor involved. A sociopath is born that way, many shrinks and researchers believe. One movie made in the 1950ās called āThe Bad Seedā brought the genetic cause for sociopathy to the average personās attention.
Finally, keep in mind that since a normal, relatively sane person wouldn't run for political office, we are doomed to being governed by sociopaths.
Norman K. Breslow, B.F.A., B.A., M.A.
To get a view of my academic background to help you decide whether you should take seriously what you've just read, copy and past the following into your browser:
Norman K. Breslow's academic background:
email Norman Breslow at [email protected]
A Brief Essay About Politicians by Norman K. Breslow v1.5a
Bottom Line: All politicians are sociopaths. No exceptions. If your mommy is a politician, your mommy is a sociopath, says I. Got it? If you're skeptical, or think I'm being outrageous to get your attention, hopefully by the time you finish reading the following three pages, you'll understand the seriousness and accuracy of my position. Keep reading and learn some things about politicians and lawyers and talk show hosts and...
I started writing this essay āway back in 1993, because I found myself getting very irritated listening to politicians being interviewed on radio and television shows. Speak about crazy people. Well, to be more accurate, they are personality disordered, not necessarily crazy. What really upsets me is that no one, except for me, seems to realize that politicians are at best sociopaths, and at worst, flat out crazy. Since the news people and talk show hosts who interview politicians are presumably well educated, I assume that they all managed to cut the same lecture given in their college introductory psychology 101 class, the one that discussed the different types of sociopaths.
One type of sociopath is the ācon manā. The "con" in con man stands for "confidence". A con man gets your confidence. He is charismatic (charming), and slick as glass, he lies with a straight face at the drop of a hat, and isn't concerned about tomorrow. Tomorrow he'll worry about tomorrow. Today he'll say whatever is necessary to make the sale, make the deal, defraud the mark.
Successful politicians get your confidence, they are charismatic, slick as glass, lie with a straight face, and aren't concerned about the future, with the exception of worrying about getting reelected. They say what people want to hear. The politician will say whatever is necessary to get your vote. No kidding.
I'll assume that you are a normal person. If you are, would you like to run for public office? And have your competition spread rumors, lies, and a few truths about you? Do you want to make ādealsā with unsavory characters to get campaign donations? Do you think you could walk down the street and not be embarrassed about what people say and think about you after hearing what the competition says to smear you? You know, about your "sick" sex interests, or your "drinking problem", or that you are a homosexual, or that you're not a homosexual, or that you beat your kids, or that you once sold illegal drugs, or that your spouse sleeps around, or that you don't care that kids get hooked on cigarettes because you take tobacco industry money, even if you don't, or that you or your spouse had an abortion, or that you're involved with organized crime, or...
Would you place your kids in the position of taking heat at school because of what is said about you, even if none of these things are true? A normal person wouldn't allow himself or his family to be placed in that position. He wouldn't allow himself to be held up to public ridicule. He wouldn't allow himself to be the butt of jokes on the late night talk shows. He just couldn't deal with the psychological pressure. An abnormal person can place himself in that position, because some parts of his brain, such as the conscience, just don't operate correctly. You see, the part of the brain which makes a person fully human, capable of empathy, capable of embarrassment, capable of having guilt feelings, is missing.
If you need someone to explain to you what a conscience is, and what guilt feelings feel like, you're a sociopath. If you're not sure what empathy is, it's the ability to put yourself in someone elseās situation, to relate to them and literally feel the emotions that go along with their situation. Itās the ability to identify with someone elseās situation.
The most important thing to remember about a sociopath is that he or she doesn't have a conscience, which for the purposes of this essay means having a sense of right and wrong. The conscience has been described as an internal policeman. One that goes with you wherever you go, and lets you know if you're doing wrong, or about to. And without a conscience, there are no guilt feelings. A person lacking a conscience doesn't know what guilt feelings feel like. And so, without a conscience and without empathy, the sociopath can lie/cheat/steal/etc., and not care about the effect his actions will have on others. And not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable if he is caught lying or cheating or stealing. All he cares about is whether or not he gets what he wants.
Alongside sociopaths are the psychopaths, who are like sociopaths but who commit violent crimes. Think āmafiaā and gang members. Psychopaths differ from sociopaths only in that they are violent. Besides that, they are the same type of personality. They have no sense of right vs. wrong, or fair vs. unfair. As mentioned earlier, they have no conscience, no internal policeman letting them know when they are out of line. Without a conscience, a person isnāt fully human, and a person who isnāt fully human is a subhuman. For many normal people, it's difficult to imagine that such subhumans really exist. Unfortunately, they do.
Only sociopaths will end up in political life, because only those subhumans can ignore the "shame" that others would find paralyzing when the opposition smears them. Because they have no conscience, and so no guilt feelings, and no feelings of embarrassment, they donāt really care what others say about them, although they may pretend to. And they can't relate to other peopleās emotions, because they lack empathy. And only they can lie convincingly, without swallowing hard and starting to sweat and stammering, and blushing. Only sociopaths can lie convincingly, time after time after time.
Now, back to the question of why interviewers seem to ignore the fact that the politicians they are interviewing are, well, psychological cripples. Not fully human. Subhuman. I'm sure there is a reason. Maybe it's professional courtesy, and the interviewer's intention not to scare away other politicians because he asks tough questions, and doesn't make nice-nice. If that's the answer, then for high ratings, he'll mislead his audience.
Not only do sociopaths lack a conscience and lack empathy, they lack a feeling or concept of fairness. You see, when little children play, itās not uncommon to hear one shout, āNo fair, no fair, you stepped on the line,ā or something like that. Or, one child might say that it isnāt fair that another child wasn't invited to a birthday party. This concept of fair and unfair seems to be built into childrenās brains. Therefore, fairness is a built-in human emotion. Politicians not only lack a conscience, but do not have the emotion of fairness. Fair and unfair are meaningless to them. Only what will score them political points is what matters to them.
(People who study the brain believe they have found that part of the brain where the concept of fairness, associated with the conscience, is located. Itās called the Lateral Frontal Pole. Tests involving brain scans are being developed which one day will be able to detect a sociopath's brain from a normal person's brain.)
It is important to keep in mind that while all politicians are sociopaths, not all sociopaths become politicians. Probably more sociopaths are attracted to the legal profession than to politics, and then some realize that there are more goodies available to a politician than to a "lowly" lawyer, and so they make the transition into politics. This might explain why so many politicians are also lawyers, or at least have graduated from a law school. You are probably aware that lawyers aren't known for their sense of fairness or for their honesty, but they are known for being liars, which the stand-up comedians joke, āHow do you know when a lawyer is lying? When his lips are moving!ā attests to. Just change lawyer to politicianā¦
In summary, politicians lack a conscience, which makes them subhuman. They donāt care about other people, only about themselves, ācause they lack the emotion of empathy. Sociopaths have varying levels of charisma, that is, they are charming, and they are instantly liked by others for no particular reason. This ability to instantly get people to like and trust them is believed to be the result of a pheromone which causes other people to like and trust them. A pheromone is an aroma which isnāt consciously noticed, but which does effect the person who does notice the scent without consciously realizing it. (Hard to believe, but pheromones really do exist.)
Why sociopaths emit those pheromones is unknown, but I strongly suggest that when you meet someone who you instantly like and trust, who gives you the feeling, āI really like this guyā, you make a note that you are probably chatting with a sociopath, and you should run like hell.
Why some people are sociopaths is unknown. Most shrinks believe that there is a genetic factor involved. A sociopath is born that way, many shrinks and researchers believe. One movie made in the 1950ās called āThe Bad Seedā brought the genetic cause for sociopathy to the average personās attention.
Finally, keep in mind that since a normal, relatively sane person wouldn't run for political office, we are doomed to being governed by sociopaths.
Norman K. Breslow, B.F.A., B.A., M.A.
To get a view of my academic background to help you decide whether you should take seriously what you've just read, copy and past the following into your browser:
Norman K. Breslow's academic background:
email Norman Breslow at [email protected]
