The psychopathy of political leadership

Started by Baruch, January 03, 2018, 10:41:37 PM

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Baruch

This is long, but it is contemporary (not really about ancient history) and you can skip around every 5 mins to sample it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b-27bn1UFY
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Unbeliever

Jeff Bezos is worth 100 billion dollars according to Bloomberg:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-24/jeff-bezos-fortune-hits-100-billion-on-black-friday-stock-surge


That's one dollar for every galaxy in the observable universe!


I guess being a psychopath is good for one's career.
God Not Found
"There is a sucker born-again every minute." - C. Spellman

Baruch

Quote from: Unbeliever on January 04, 2018, 01:38:05 PM
Jeff Bezos is worth 100 billion dollars according to Bloomberg:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-24/jeff-bezos-fortune-hits-100-billion-on-black-friday-stock-surge


That's one dollar for every galaxy in the observable universe!


I guess being a psychopath is good for one's career.

See, the reason you are poor, is you aren't crazy enough ;-)
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

AllPurposeAtheist

#3
Sylvia and I have long been discussing the pathology of extreme wealth. It's my belief that once you have enough money that you can't possibly actually need more and you can't stop yourself from wanting even more to the detrimental of everyone else you've pretty much proven yourself unfit to live among the rest of the earths inhabitants.
We really need a system in place to vote these mutherfuckers off the planet.. Just put em on a spaceship programmed to never return to earth with absolutely no possible way to alter the program..
That would certainly end the idea that people who have figured out how to get rich make great politicians..

As of this moment I haven't listened to the entire video, but the parts about reactive and instrumental aggression remind me so much of listening and reading about football and the NFL and how fans react to their respective teams and players.
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

Baruch

Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on January 06, 2018, 11:15:35 AM
Sylvia and I have long been discussing the pathology of extreme wealth. It's my belief that once you have enough money that you can't possibly actually need more and you can't stop yourself from wanting even more to the detrimental of everyone else you've pretty much proven yourself unfit to live among the rest of the earths inhabitants.
We really need a system in place to vote these mutherfuckers off the planet.. Just put em on a spaceship programmed to never return to earth with absolutely no possible way to alter the program..
That would certainly end the idea that people who have figured out how to get rich make great politicians..

As of this moment I haven't listened to the entire video, but the parts about reactive and instrumental aggression remind me so much of listening and reading about football and the NFL and how fans react to their respective teams and players.

Yes ... American politics is very much like sports fan behavior.  Is that the same in GB?  I would think so.  Also in Roman and Athens in ancient times.  You really can't separate behavior X from behavior Y.

Elon Musk wants to move himself and the other billionaires to Mars ... I think he is quite mad.  But his purpose isn't to free the peasants, but to gain some distance from the peasants.  Think Nero, and his giant new palace ... Domus Aurea (golden house).

One point of the video, is that we are all someplace on the psychopathic spectrum.  It isn't you are or you aren't.  But given that, how do you deal with yourself, and with other humans, in a more constructive way.  Otherwise destruction is built in.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

GSOgymrat

Interesting lecture. It can be advantageous to have a leader with higher than average level of psychopathy working towards your interest. It isn't good to have a leader with a higher level of both psychopathy and narcissism because the leader is never working towards anyone's interests but their own. The other problem with leaders with these personality traits is the inability to accurately assess their own limitations and accept that someone has greater knowledge or expertise.

Baruch

#6
Quote from: GSOgymrat on January 07, 2018, 12:33:39 AM
Interesting lecture. It can be advantageous to have a leader with higher than average level of psychopathy working towards your interest. It isn't good to have a leader with a higher level of both psychopathy and narcissism because the leader is never working towards anyone's interests but their own. The other problem with leaders with these personality traits is the inability to accurately assess their own limitations and accept that someone has greater knowledge or expertise.

Great leaders delegate to subordinate specialists who are smarter than they are.  But that is how the Alphabet Agencies dominate the White House.  Leadership is a very ... slippery ... practice.  I can see how JFK did real leadership, and prevented WW III.  The Alphabet Agencies didn't appreciate that.

And there is the vision thing ... the leader has to have a compelling and doable vision of what the group is to be all about.

https://archive.org/stream/LeadershipSecretsOfAttilaTheHunPdfBook/leadership-secrets-of-attila-the-hun-wess-roberts_djvu.txt

I particularly like ... Booty: "Rewarding Your Huns"

There are a whole slew of excellent books on leadership, not all about Gandhi.  Active pacifism is just one tool among many.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=670ZGMBjrPI

If there really are 4000 to 9000 unopened indictments at the Attorney General's Office in DC ... I can see the principle "Totally Crush Your Enemies" coming about.

http://www.businessinsider.com/unusual-russia-brief-lawsuit-trump-roger-stone-2017-12

Be afraid, very afraid.  Perhaps the methods of the Roman Republic, were more open and honest?  Murder of the Gracchi brothers, Marius vs Sulla, Caesar vs Pompey, Octavian vs Anthony.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Cavebear

Quote from: Baruch on January 07, 2018, 08:30:03 AM
Great leaders delegate to subordinate specialists who are smarter than they are.  But that is how the Alphabet Agencies dominate the White House.  Leadership is a very ... slippery ... practice.  I can see how JFK did real leadership, and prevented WW III.  The Alphabet Agencies didn't appreciate that.

And there is the vision thing ... the leader has to have a compelling and doable vision of what the group is to be all about.


And Trump has that?
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Baruch

Quote from: Cavebear on January 27, 2018, 08:47:46 AM
And Trump has that?

No.  But you knew that already.  Hillary doesn't either, even if legal, look at how she handled the email server.  She doesn't know how to delegate, or hire competent people ... not that is easy.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Cavebear

Quote from: Baruch on January 27, 2018, 09:26:37 AM
No.  But you knew that already.  Hillary doesn't either, even if legal, look at how she handled the email server.  She doesn't know how to delegate, or hire competent people ... not that is easy.

I was actually a Joe Biden supporter.  He knew how government worked.  But Clinton sure would have been better than Trump.  Having Trump as President now is rather like having Jeff Davis elected in 1860.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Baruch

Quote from: Cavebear on January 27, 2018, 09:49:03 AM
I was actually a Joe Biden supporter.  He knew how government worked.  But Clinton sure would have been better than Trump.  Having Trump as President now is rather like having Jeff Davis elected in 1860.

You have Confederates in your attic ... there is even a book ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederates_in_the_Attic

But Federalism should be complementary with state's rights.  But it didn't work with minimal Federal power, the States were too tempted by that weakness.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Cavebear

Quote from: Baruch on January 27, 2018, 09:51:21 AM
You have Confederates in your attic ... there is even a book ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederates_in_the_Attic

But Federalism should be complementary with state's rights.  But it didn't work with minimal Federal power, the States were too tempted by that weakness.

I understand what you mean generally, but yer talking ta a NE abolitionist family guy here...Yeah, fer shure.  Crazy NE guys mixed with Quakers!
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!