Psychopaths Rule the World

[doppelgänger]

Originally Posted by Revoltingest

Still, corporations pose less of a threat to me than my own government. Corporations can't draft me, tax me, arrest me, etc.
With business, I can generally choose with whom I deal. With government, choice means relocating.

They can just kill you and steal from you without due process.

[work in progress]

Originally Posted by Songbird

Yeah, the article did end disappointingly! I had the same thought - they need to stay within the bounds that will keep them in business, which makes for some pretty bland reading after a good lure of a title.

I've noticed that in recent years that Time and Newsweek are both a lot more cautious and unconfrontational on economic and foreign policy issues than they used to be. They had a lot more to say during the Vietnam War than they have regarding Iraq, Afghanistan, and the new wars in Libya and Yemen. I've heard some media critics like Glenn Greenwald say that the decline in subscriptions to newspapers and newsmagazines have made them totally dependent on corporate interests for support....who can now use them for propaganda purposes.

When this article came out it piqued my interest in the French attitude toward sex, of all things. There are some really good and really bad things from their laissez-faire attitude about it. One of the bad seems to be a nonchalance about sexual assault.

I've heard this also; and not only France, but many other supposedly liberal Western European nations like Sweden, are not all that progressive on issues that specifically affect women. It's beside the point, but I was a little shocked when I learned that the common law wife of the deceased author of the hugely profitable "Girl With The Dragon Tatoo" books has been denied any of the estate of her partner -- and all of it has gone to his estranged family members. I guess it's another little reminder that "liberal" and "progressive" means different things in different places in the world.

Regarding rape trials: obviously, a man who's charged with rape, needs to have a fair opportunity to defend himself; but his lawyer, or lawyers should not be allowed to put the accuser on trial. This is why traditionally, only a fraction of rapists found themselves in court...especially if they had some personal relationship with the victim, and could use threats, bribery, or the ordeal of the court trial process to convince her to drop the case.

[Dipintus]

The real question is: is their behaviour learned or natural?
Does power corrupt or does it attract those who are already corrupted?

[work in progress]

Awhile back, I came across this study published in PNAS that correlates higher social class with unethical behaviour. Rather than start a new thread for it, I'll just add it here, since it can help explain why Wall Street Raiders act like psychopaths:

Abstract

Seven studies using experimental and naturalistic methods reveal that upper-class individuals behave more unethically than lower-class individuals. In studies 1 and 2, upper-class individuals were more likely to break the law while driving, relative to lower-class individuals. In follow-up laboratory studies, upper-class individuals were more likely to exhibit unethical decision-making tendencies (study 3), take valued goods from others (study 4), lie in a negotiation (study 5), cheat to increase their chances of winning a prize (study 6), and endorse unethical behavior at work (study 7) than were lower-class individuals. Mediator and moderator data demonstrated that upper-class individuals’ unethical tendencies are accounted for, in part, by their more favorable attitudes toward greed.

Supporting information in pdf explaining methodology explained here:
http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/20...01118373SI.pdf

As analysts scratch their heads wondering about the latest stupid, insensitive comment coming from Romney, or the indignation of privileged monied elite like Conrad Black, Jamie Dimond, or the Billionaires trying to use their money to make Romney president, these studies indicate that they are not just pretending....they really are clueless boobs who have no regards for the welfare of others. And if that's not enough reason to fight back against this so-called "meritocracy" that has really become a plutocracy, what is?