Narcissism is the original sin.

[alkemical]

Narcissism is the original sin.

[bronclvr]

And?

[alkemical]

Well, I've been thinking about this, looking at this for about a week or two now. So, i've been looking at what I see around me with this "lens" of identifying "narcissistic behaviour".

So I was thinking about how Lucifer's fall from grace, was because he was more in love with illusions and reflections than what is real.

I see how narcissism has ruined two generations of children, how it's effected things on such a much larger scale than I could have imagined.

People can't have conversations anymore, the lack of manners, ethics, etc. I see it as a total break down. I find it to be a root cause on why this country has failed. It's like we are, as a culture - mentally about 12 years old.

You remember those daytime TV shows where they had kids that were problem kids:

I do what I want.

The lack of consideration, responsibility, acceptance, can be attributed to narcissism. Narcissists blame everyone else for their problems and failures. It's always someone else's fault.

People WANT to be lied too. People want to be buy into illusions. That can be illustrated with how Disney & Porn have ruined at least one generation of children: Women are looking for their princes & fairy tales...and men are looking for their cum drinking whores.

[chadta]

Women are looking for their princes & fairy tales...and men are looking for their cum drinking whores.

To be fair some men are looking for princes too.

[alkemical]

To be fair some men are looking for princes too.

I can't include EVERYTHING. :p

[TailgateNut]

The vision!

The stereotyping and categorizing by generation and sex!


Un f-in believeable?

I assume in your utopia, everyone marches in tune with your positions and opinions. (ie: unions)

Good luck with that.

[alkemical]

Actually, I tried to engage you in a discussion, and because I don't agree with you - you are unwilling to have a discussion to find where maybe some common ground between labor & mgmt can come to some concessions. Sad really, but it's a perfect illustration as to what this thread illustrates.

I did generalize, to INCLUDE everyone and everything would be impossible. It's easier to convey messages in simpler contexts in order to engage in meaningful discussion.

[bronclvr]

The lack of consideration, responsibility, acceptance, can be attributed to narcissism. Narcissists blame everyone else for their problems and failures. It's always someone else's fault.


Sadly, these attributes are all too common in today's society, and to a degree I believe the Internet has a lot to do with it (as does bad parenting by Baby Boomers-question authority!)-we are keyboard warriors, and the lack of face-to-face conversation emboldens some, taking inhibitions away and leading to a gang mentality-

As for it being "someone else's fault", to me that's a lack of taking responsibility for your actions, again, generally a parenting flaw-

I do appreciate your take on it however-

[alkemical]

Sadly, these attributes are all too common in today's society, and to a degree I believe the Internet has a lot to do with it (as does bad parenting by Baby Boomers-question authority!)-we are keyboard warriors, and the lack of face-to-face conversation emboldens some, taking inhibitions away and leading to a gang mentality-

As for it being "someone else's fault", to me that's a lack of taking responsibility for your actions, again, generally a parenting flaw-

I do appreciate your take on it however-

Well, I do believe that you have to question authority. I do think there are more constructive ways to approach this though, than our "child-like" way that has been failing us for a period of time.

I also agree that the internet mode of communication has broken down communication, but because of we CHOOSE to use the tool in that manner. It's easier to CONSUME which sources of information you read, just as food you eat impacts your body - the brain food you consume helps construct the world you live in, and perceive.

With the information overload - it's almost that we live in an era where "Nothing is true, everything is permissible". We often forget that what we read online, or see on TV is only as real as the marketing we are consuming.

I also find the "gang" mentality sort of troubling. I personally find Zombie movies terrifying: I think the reason for that is I often feel that I'm surrounded by zombies and cannibals...and everyone's just waiting for the dinner bell to ring.

Just look at how people treat each other here online, see how people are in line at the grocery store, look at how people drive.

What is a way we can try to change behaviour? Should we make a game/app and reward people with points for doing the right thing? Maybe that's the way we should approach it.

[bronclvr]

Just look at how people treat each other here online, see how people are in line at the grocery store, look at how people drive.

What is a way we can try to change behaviour? Should we make a game/app and reward people with points for doing the right thing? Maybe that's the way we should approach it.


As for how people treat people on this Forum, I belong to a few and can tell that by and large, Taco allows more here than many-80% here would be banned quickly on a few Forums I am a member of. There is one, however, that is far worse, and I can only tolerate it in small batches (I only go there because of a Hobby of mine).

As for changing behaviour, it goes with expectation-if there is respect, behaviours can be changed rather quickly-people know what is right-whether they do it or not is personal responsibility-

[alkemical]

As for how people treat people on this Forum, I belong to a few and can tell that by and large, Taco allows more here than many-80% here would be banned quickly on a few Forums I am a member of. There is one, however, that is far worse, and I can only tolerate it in small batches (I only go there because of a Hobby of mine).

As for changing behaviour, it goes with expectation-if there is respect, behaviours can be changed rather quickly-people know what is right-whether they do it or not is personal responsibility-

So, we have to drive "user adoption" to accept responsibility. How do we get the "users" to accept it?

[bronclvr]

There has to be respect-

[alkemical]

There has to be respect-

Agreed.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Well, I do believe that you have to question authority. I do think there are more constructive ways to approach this though, than our "child-like" way that has been failing us for a period of time.

I also agree that the internet mode of communication has broken down communication, but because of we CHOOSE to use the tool in that manner. It's easier to CONSUME which sources of information you read, just as food you eat impacts your body - the brain food you consume helps construct the world you live in, and perceive.

With the information overload - it's almost that we live in an era where "Nothing is true, everything is permissible". We often forget that what we read online, or see on TV is only as real as the marketing we are consuming.

I also find the "gang" mentality sort of troubling. I personally find Zombie movies terrifying: I think the reason for that is I often feel that I'm surrounded by zombies and cannibals...and everyone's just waiting for the dinner bell to ring.

Just look at how people treat each other here online, see how people are in line at the grocery store, look at how people drive.

What is a way we can try to change behaviour? Should we make a game/app and reward people with points for doing the right thing? Maybe that's the way we should approach it.

Winner. It's all too easy to lose sight of this, thank you. It's always easier to recognize folks who have a grand sense of self-importance or uniqueness and react with rage or humiliation when their superiority is not recognized than it is to recognize it in ourselves.

[That One Guy]

There was another thread recently where people were commenting that the problem with today's youth is that nobody is humbled anymore. It could also be a factor. You take the fact that nobody is humbled (everybody wins!) and nobody can accept being anything worse than the best - even if they have to convince themselves of that. Then, that person who would usually irritate the piss out of everyone and be outcast, unless they dropped the facade of perfection, can find like-minded people online and scream their perfect opinions at each other.

There's no single cause, I don't think. This also is a trying time because rooted in politics are our most basic morals. If our politics fail, then by logic so does everything we base ourselves on. Then the basic politics engulfs the economic means by which we operate, the societal influences we're willing to tolerate, etc. Pretty soon we're rooted in our morals' success and, because we don't know how to lose, refuse to accept that maybe we aren't perfect.

In today's political world, if you're not on the winning team, you're being embarrassed horribly.

[alkemical]

Winner. It's all too easy to lose sight of this, thank you. It's always easier to recognize folks who have a grand sense of self-importance or uniqueness and react with rage or humiliation when their superiority is not recognized than it is to recognize it in ourselves.

That's a very valid point and observation. I tend to agree.

Besides mass murdering these douchebags, how can we drive adoption to humility, or change behaviour?

[alkemical]

There was another thread recently where people were commenting that the problem with today's youth is that nobody is humbled anymore. It could also be a factor. You take the fact that nobody is humbled (everybody wins!) and nobody can accept being anything worse than the best - even if they have to convince themselves of that. Then, that person who would usually irritate the piss out of everyone and be outcast, unless they dropped the facade of perfection, can find like-minded people online and scream their perfect opinions at each other.

There's no single cause, I don't think. This also is a trying time because rooted in politics are our most basic morals. If our politics fail, then by logic so does everything we base ourselves on. Then the basic politics engulfs the economic means by which we operate, the societal influences we're willing to tolerate, etc. Pretty soon we're rooted in our morals' success and, because we don't know how to lose, refuse to accept that maybe we aren't perfect.

In today's political world, if you're not on the winning team, you're being embarrassed horribly.


I don't think it's politics down, i think politics is just a reflection of the underlying things that are causing the problems.

[That One Guy]

I don't think it's politics down, i think politics is just a reflection of the underlying things that are causing the problems.

Oh, yes, I didn't make that clear. That part was pertaining to why it was so visible (particularly here). I guess I left some thoughts out. Our political involvement and how loud we yell our opinions are just amplified with the seriousness of the current political arena. That makes the problem exponentially more visible.

[alkemical]

Oh, yes, I didn't make that clear. That part was pertaining to why it was so visible (particularly here). I guess I left some thoughts out. Our political involvement and how loud we yell our opinions are just amplified with the seriousness of the current political arena. That makes the problem exponentially more visible.

Agreed.

I know i keep asking this -

But how do we go about "fixing" this?

[That One Guy]

Agreed.

I know i keep asking this -

But how do we go about "fixing" this?

With the loss of community comes the theory that only personal successes matter, in my opinion. Get people more involved in community, seriously involved not just a cookout at the park, and people become vested in other people's successes too.

For the community to have to come together though, there must be a rallying cause. The country came together after 9/11. Sure some still seemed intent on playing devil's advocate but we were a unified country. Communities sometimes need a similar cause to remind each other what is really important in the world but whenever anything bad happens, we just look to the government for assistance or give up and cast blame.

Two days after Christmas, my uncle's trailer burnt. To the ground, nothing left. We were cleaning that lot out and helping make preparations for another trailer before the fires were even out. I ruined a new pair of boots because the tread on bottom melted flat. There's not many communities aside from small towns that would come together in such a way anymore, from my experience.

When you don't have to worry about anything but numero uno, it's easy to not focus on anyone or anything else. Put the humanity back into the equation and the fundamentals of society can return.

Strictly my opinion, of course.

[alkemical]

With the loss of community comes the theory that only personal successes matter, in my opinion. Get people more involved in community, seriously involved not just a cookout at the park, and people become vested in other people's successes too.

For the community to have to come together though, there must be a rallying cause. The country came together after 9/11. Sure some still seemed intent on playing devil's advocate but we were a unified country. Communities sometimes need a similar cause to remind each other what is really important in the world but whenever anything bad happens, we just look to the government for assistance or give up and cast blame.

Two days after Christmas, my uncle's trailer burnt. To the ground, nothing left. We were cleaning that lot out and helping make preparations for another trailer before the fires were even out. I ruined a new pair of boots because the tread on bottom melted flat. There's not many communities aside from small towns that would come together in such a way anymore, from my experience.

When you don't have to worry about anything but numero uno, it's easy to not focus on anyone or anything else. Put the humanity back into the equation and the fundamentals of society can return.

Strictly my opinion, of course.


I do agree with some of these sentiments:

I am currently engaged in starting a big gardening movement where I live, and am also looking at starting a hydroponics CSA for B2B. I'm also trying to get a local currency launched, as well as working on a Proof of Concept for MESH networks (so if the internet plug is pulled local areas can still communicate - take today's technology with the 90's idea of online BBS).

[Requiem]

Grow me some coke.

[alkemical]

Grow me some coke.

It's processed, not organic! :p

[That One Guy]

I do agree with some of these sentiments:

I am currently engaged in starting a big gardening movement where I live, and am also looking at starting a hydroponics CSA for B2B. I'm also trying to get a local currency launched, as well as working on a Proof of Concept for MESH networks (so if the internet plug is pulled local areas can still communicate - take today's technology with the 90's idea of online BBS).

Isn't it illegal to make your own currency?

[alkemical]

Isn't it illegal to make your own currency?

Local currencies exist in several states:


In regards to alternative currencies, some legislators, economists and scholars say that the only way to save the American economy and way of life is to implement an alternative or competing currency. States like Virginia are writing bills as an insurance policy against the meltdown of the Federal Reserve and the death of the dollar. While not specifically attacking the greenback, Virginia legislators clearly state that their intention is to explore other options as a back-up for their state economy. I find that very sensible. The SPLC considers that to be extreme and radical.

Furthermore, many local areas already use alternative currencies. In Michigan, for example, the Liberty Dollar is in wide-spread use among private businesses and citizens. In New York, the Ithaca Hour is used as a currency for one hour’s worth of work. It has inspired similar “alternative currencies” in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and elsewhere

[alkemical]

Mesh networks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking#Mesh_network_applications

Mesh networking (topology) is a type of networking where each node must not only capture and disseminate its own data, but also serve as a relay for other sensor nodes, that is, it must collaborate to propagate the data in the network.

A mesh network can be designed using a flooding technique or a routing technique. When using a routing technique, the message propagates along a path, by hopping from node to node until the destination is reached. For insuring all its paths availability, a routing network must allow for continuous connections and reconfiguration around broken or blocked paths, using self-healing algorithms. A mesh network whose nodes are all connected to each other is a fully connected network. Mesh networks can be seen as one type of ad hoc network. Mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) and mesh networks are therefore closely related, but MANET also have to deal with the problems introduced by the mobility of the nodes.

The self-healing capability enables a routing based network to operate when one node breaks down or a connection goes bad. As a result, the network is typically quite reliable, as there is often more than one path between a source and a destination in the network. Although mostly used in wireless scenarios, this concept is also applicable to wired networks and software interaction. The animation at the right illustrates how wireless mesh networks can self form and self heal. For more animations see History of Wireless Mesh Networking

Wireless mesh networks were originally developed for military applications and are typical of mesh architectures. Over the past decade the size, cost, and power requirements of radios has declined, enabling more radios to be included within each device acting as a mesh node. The additional radios within each node enable it to support multiple functions such as client access, backhaul service, and scanning (required for high speed handover in mobile applications). Additionally, the reduction in radio size, cost, and power has enabled the mesh nodes to become more modular—one node or device now can contain multiple radio cards or modules, allowing the nodes to be customized to handle a unique set of functions and frequency bands.

Work in this field has been aided by the use of game theory methods to analyze strategies for the allocation of resources and routing of packets.[1]

[alkemical]

More on local currency:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/print-your-own-money-build-community.php

How to Print Your Own Money, Build Community & Not Get Arrested by the Feds

[ant1999e]

After 9-11 I think we were all humbled and it brought us together. I think that unfortunatlery, it may take another event like 9-11 but on a global scale to bring us all back to earth. And with the political and civil unrest speading throughout the globe lately, it may be coming sooner rather than later.

[alkemical]

After 9-11 I think we were all humbled and it brought us together. I think that unfortunatlery, it may take another event like 9-11 but on a global scale to bring us all back to earth. And with the political and civil unrest speading throughout the globe lately, it may be coming sooner rather than later.

I'm wondering if the sun will have anything to do with this:

Increased solar flares causing problems. This could create a situation where we have to grow up and work as more of a collective to accomplish being able to live.

[ant1999e]

I'm wondering if the sun will have anything to do with this:

Increased solar flares causing problems. This could create a situation where we have to grow up and work as more of a collective to accomplish being able to live.

21 Dec. 2012 is just around the corner. Who knows what kind of change it will bring, spiritual, global, or maybe just put us all out of our misery.

[That One Guy]

I'm wondering if the sun will have anything to do with this:

Increased solar flares causing problems. This could create a situation where we have to grow up and work as more of a collective to accomplish being able to live.

It'd be difficult getting people to buy into a concept to fight something they don't understand. MAYBE if there were no competing interests so everyone could merely believe what they were told and move forward. Surely though, someone would find a way to capitalize on it and our own ignorance would leave us stagnant until our own demise.

[alkemical]

21 Dec. 2012 is just around the corner. Who knows what kind of change it will bring, spiritual, global, or maybe just put us all out of our misery.

It's an interest that is something I am keeping an eye on.

[alkemical]

It'd be difficult getting people to buy into a concept to fight something they don't understand. MAYBE if there were no competing interests so everyone could merely believe what they were told and move forward. Surely though, someone would find a way to capitalize on it and our own ignorance would leave us stagnant until our own demise.

Well... I don't think we can FIGHT the sun. :p

But your point is taken, I'm just trying to find "work arounds/solutions" for problems I am finding.

[That One Guy]

Well... I don't think we can FIGHT the sun. :p

But your point is taken, I'm just trying to find "work arounds/solutions" for problems I am finding.

Haha... if we all carry mirrors on our head, maybe we can burn the thing!

I meant fight as in... fight to survive the change less than taking up arms against the great lightbulb in the sky. Whatever side of the global warming thing you're on, the one thing that cannot be denied is how something that could potentially be apocolyptic (if true) can divide and put all of society into a quagmire while we argue it. Rather than say green energy couldn't hurt, people dedicate resources instead to disproving the other guy's theory and trying to win the PR battle.

[alkemical]

Haha... if we all carry mirrors on our head, maybe we can burn the thing!

I meant fight as in... fight to survive the change less than taking up arms against the great lightbulb in the sky. Whatever side of the global warming thing you're on, the one thing that cannot be denied is how something that could potentially be apocolyptic (if true) can divide and put all of society into a quagmire while we argue it. Rather than say green energy couldn't hurt, people dedicate resources instead to disproving the other guy's theory and trying to win the PR battle.

Agreed.

I'm trying to "win" in the getting people to understand that it's not a "one sized fits all" solution that's going to be "THE solution". It's going to have to take different approaches to solve the problems. Some solutions will work here, but won't work there.

I think a lot of ingenuity and intelligence are needed to move us to where we need to get to. I'm trying to encourage people to DIY things. It's really a major component to trying to keep the USA relevant in the world forum, instead of being discarded.

[JJJ]

This thread was a painful read.

Narcissm is being committed to changing the world one organic plot at a time and making sure everyone on-line knows about it.

Call me a skeptical bastard if you wish, because you would certainly be right, but don't you think starting a thread saying narcissm is the original sin and then go on to make the claims that the world definitively needs to be changed and stopping short of killing these supposedly narricstic people causing all the problems asking in your most innocent voice what we can so about it, is just a bit narcissistic in and of itself?

Be wary of the do-gooder who likes to talk about the good he does has been my experience.

[Odysseus]

The vision!

The stereotyping and categorizing by generation and sex!


Un f-in believeable?

I assume in your utopia, everyone marches in tune with your positions and opinions. (ie: unions)

Good luck with that.

Self indulgence can be as much a part of the unions as the free market.

[Odysseus]

This thread was a painful read.

Narcissm is being committed to changing the world one organic plot at a time and making sure everyone on-line knows about it.

Call me a skeptical bastard if you wish, because you would certainly be right, but don't you think starting a thread saying narcissm is the original sin and then go on to make the claims that the world definitively needs to be changed and stopping short of killing these supposedly narricstic people causing all the problems asking in your most innocent voice what we can so about it, is just a bit narcissistic in and of itself?

Be wary of the do-gooder who likes to talk about the good he does has been my experience.

Let's be clear. If you are that skeptical there are no such thing as good people. In your tiny little world everyone has to have a motive. I agree. Even if a person does not know they have a motivation there is one present but in this conversation the point is not an external conversation of assumptions but one of inquiry where you get to suspend bitter disbelief and take a look at things and see a DIFFERENT perspective.

Do you know how people sometimes say "It came out of nowhere! I was so surprised!" It would not be that way if people, from a larger than just doing business perspective, paid attention to what is really on the table.

This is an eclectic conversations where you can't always be right. It's not as binary a discussion as you might want it would be. This is not low context dialog. This is high context. You have to put on a different thinking cap.

[JJJ]

Let's be clear. If you are that skeptical there are no such thing as good people. In your tiny little world everyone has to have a motive. I agree. Even if a person does not know they have a motivation there is one present but in this conversation the point is not an external conversation of assumptions but one of inquiry where you get to suspend bitter disbelief and take a look at things and see a DIFFERENT perspective.

Do you know how people sometimes say "It came out of nowhere! I was so surprised!" It would not be that way if people, from a larger than just doing business perspective, paid attention to what is really on the table.

This is an eclectic conversations where you can't always be right. It's not as binary a discussion as you might want it would be. This is not low context dialog. This is high context. You have to put on a different thinking cap.

Understood. I will allow you to return to your high context discussion.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Narcissism is the original sin.

Narcissism is healthy and natural for children.

It's when it continues into adulthood that it becomes a problem.

[alkemical]

This thread was a painful read.

Narcissm is being committed to changing the world one organic plot at a time and making sure everyone on-line knows about it.

Call me a skeptical bastard if you wish, because you would certainly be right, but don't you think starting a thread saying narcissm is the original sin and then go on to make the claims that the world definitively needs to be changed and stopping short of killing these supposedly narricstic people causing all the problems asking in your most innocent voice what we can so about it, is just a bit narcissistic in and of itself?

Be wary of the do-gooder who likes to talk about the good he does has been my experience.


I'm not here to talk about the good I've done for accolades, or for approval. I'm illustrating my projects only as an example of what i'm doing to help my local community. I don't want fame, only credit. :)

I understand you statement of irony, and i know how it is to not trust anyone. If you want to know my motivations:

Local currency:find and implement a competing currency to help local communities stay fluid in the event of a worsening $.

hydroponic csa: find a way to provide a good/service to help local biz with produce demands, while increasing local food production. Sure, someone's going to make $, but a win/win for everyone is a good thing.

mesh networks: portable wifi solutions so in the event wide scale communications are disrupted, people would still be able to communictae/share info/tade info. think of a mobile adhoc wifi network that could help provide information access for the community/by the community. (say the internet gets shut off here, what's a solution to allow people to communicate?)

My motivation is about trying to make the world a better place than when I got here. there is ego involved whenever you create something.

I'm trying to engage and empower people, for no profit. Only because I feel that fear, dependance, control need competition.

I'm not asking you to trust me, I'm asking for you, if you are interested and motivated to find ways to make something better in your radius.

I learned that I can't rule the world, and slaughter those who oppose me. ;) So, lets do something better.

Don't like big ag/monsanto? get more people involved in gardening. It will help stabilize food costs. Use a local currency to support local biz, etc.

those are three areas i've identified as ways to create solutions to help my friends, family, community for problem areas I see rising.

What are your alternatives? What are your plans? What is your motivation?

[TailgateNut]

I'm not here to talk about the good I've done for accolades, or for approval. I'm illustrating my projects only as an example of what i'm doing to help my local community. I don't want fame, only credit. :)

I understand you statement of irony, and i know how it is to not trust anyone. If you want to know my motivations:

Local currency:find and implement a competing currency to help local communities stay fluid in the event of a worsening $.

hydroponic csa: find a way to provide a good/service to help local biz with produce demands, while increasing local food production. Sure, someone's going to make $, but a win/win for everyone is a good thing.

mesh networks: portable wifi solutions so in the event wide scale communications are disrupted, people would still be able to communictae/share info/tade info. think of a mobile adhoc wifi network that could help provide information access for the community/by the community. (say the internet gets shut off here, what's a solution to allow people to communicate?)

My motivation is about trying to make the world a better place than when I got here. there is ego involved whenever you create something.

I'm trying to engage and empower people, for no profit. Only because I feel that fear, dependance, control need competition.

I'm not asking you to trust me, I'm asking for you, if you are interested and motivated to find ways to make something better in your radius.

I learned that I can't rule the world, and slaughter those who oppose me. ;) So, lets do something better.

Don't like big ag/monsanto? get more people involved in gardening. It will help stabilize food costs. Use a local currency to support local biz, etc.

those are three areas i've identified as ways to create solutions to help my friends, family, community for problem areas I see rising.

What are your alternatives? What are your plans? What is your motivation?


I thought I heard you say that you wanted to leave "your community" to move to Colorado. Is that also part of your master plan to make the world a better place, or just to improve your current area? Or are you aloof enough to believe that you moving to Colorado will make it better with your presence?

[JJJ]

I'm not here to talk about the good I've done for accolades, or for approval. I'm illustrating my projects only as an example of what i'm doing to help my local community. I don't want fame, only credit. :)

I understand you statement of irony, and i know how it is to not trust anyone. If you want to know my motivations:

Local currency:find and implement a competing currency to help local communities stay fluid in the event of a worsening $.

hydroponic csa: find a way to provide a good/service to help local biz with produce demands, while increasing local food production. Sure, someone's going to make $, but a win/win for everyone is a good thing.

mesh networks: portable wifi solutions so in the event wide scale communications are disrupted, people would still be able to communictae/share info/tade info. think of a mobile adhoc wifi network that could help provide information access for the community/by the community. (say the internet gets shut off here, what's a solution to allow people to communicate?)

My motivation is about trying to make the world a better place than when I got here. there is ego involved whenever you create something.

I'm trying to engage and empower people, for no profit. Only because I feel that fear, dependance, control need competition.

I'm not asking you to trust me, I'm asking for you, if you are interested and motivated to find ways to make something better in your radius.

I learned that I can't rule the world, and slaughter those who oppose me. ;) So, lets do something better.

Don't like big ag/monsanto? get more people involved in gardening. It will help stabilize food costs. Use a local currency to support local biz, etc.

those are three areas i've identified as ways to create solutions to help my friends, family, community for problem areas I see rising.

What are your alternatives? What are your plans? What is your motivation?

Go to work during the week and create some value for my company. Play golf on the weekends. Love my wife. Pester people on the internet. Wait for the draft. Boring but it works for me.

[TailgateNut]

Go to work during the week and create some value for my company. Play golf on the weekends. Love my wife. Pester people on the internet. Wait for the draft. Boring but it works for me.


Good one!


Work during the week, get away as often as possible to hop on the scooter, love my family, attend all the bronco games, grow my own veggies, Deep sea fish as often as possible, volunteer cook at the VFW, spend time with my kids and pets.

Boring, but works for me.

[baja]

Duality set the stage for narcissism

"I Am"

[JJJ]

Good one!


Work during the week, get away as often as possible to hop on the scooter, love my family, attend all the bronco games, grow my own veggies, Deep sea fish as often as possible, volunteer cook at the VFW, spend time with my kids and pets.

Boring, but works for me.

If I may be so bold you also pester people on the internet. Ha!

[Odysseus]

Understood. I will allow you to return to your high context discussion.

Actually...I don't need your permission but thanks for listening.

[Odysseus]

There has to be respect-

There is too little of that.

We've all become self righteous pricks unwilling to understand another person's point of view.

[alkemical]

There is too little of that.

We've all become self righteous pricks unwilling to understand another person's point of view.

That's where the death of conversation happens.

We keep making the same mistakes and refuse to learn. We also have the inability to listen.

The rise of radicalization in this country is rooted in the inability to have meaningful dialogue.

Nobody wants to accept responsability, they want to blame others for thier problems.

We have psychopaths raising psycopaths. If narcissism is an emotionally abusive towards people, than the acceptence to declining behaviour is how the cycle of abuse can be illustrated.

People are assholes, thus people ARE assholes as a response. It leads to worsening behaviour that escalates each time the lowered threshold becomes acceptable.

In that regard, we need to find a way to alter this. This has to change. It is effecting us in ways people might not see. As a nation, we are a macroorganism. The sum of the parts. If we want things to improve, we have to "go to work".

[TailgateNut]

If I may be so bold you also pester people on the internet. Ha!

No, I'm perfecting my quest to be an ASSHOLE, as someone so eloquently put it in one of their responses.

[chadta]

No, I'm perfecting my quest to be an a-hole, as someone so eloquently put it in one of their responses.

You really dont need any more practice, but at least you realize what you are, and knowing is half the battle.

[TailgateNut]

You really dont need any more practice, but at least you realize what you are, and knowing is half the battle.


Go suck a cork!

I take pride in being an asshole to assholes! It's a predetermined outcome when dealing with idiots on the mane and in life!

[mosca]

Agreed.

I know i keep asking this -

But how do we go about "fixing" this?
Remove the negative influences in our society that have been one of the major causes of this type of narcissistic attitude. Minimize exposure to mass media and corporate industry-controlled influences of TV, music, movies, advertising, etc. that more often than not are negative influences.

Try to surround ourselves and our families with what we know to be true and righteous - which is usually smaller, independent/underground, and community-oriented.

Of course, there are some positive influences and elements of commercial mainstream media, and definitely some negative ones in the independent/underground scene. But more often than not, avoiding the former and embracing the latter is a simple formula for success and a good starting point.

"Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality."; "Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it."- Bruce Lee
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gDW_Hj2K0wo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Odysseus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_inequality

Global economic meltdown? Revolution is in the air? I wonder if this growing imbalance has anything to do with this?

[alkemical]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_inequality

Global economic meltdown? Revolution is in the air? I wonder if this growing imbalance has anything to do with this?

...the weathers changing....

[alkemical]

Remove the negative influences in our society that have been one of the major causes of this type of narcissistic attitude. Minimize exposure to mass media and corporate industry-controlled influences of TV, music, movies, advertising, etc. that more often than not are negative influences.

Try to surround ourselves and our families with what we know to be true and righteous - which is usually smaller, independent/underground, and community-oriented.

Of course, there are some positive influences and elements of commercial mainstream media, and definitely some negative ones in the independent/underground scene. But more often than not, avoiding the former and embracing the latter is a simple formula for success and a good starting point.

"Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality."; "Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it."- Bruce Lee
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gDW_Hj2K0wo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'll have to watch the vid later. But I wanted to come back and answer this post.

A few years ago I changed all the news I read. I changed it to sciences, diy solutions, TED talks, Big Think, etc etc. Was amazing the fear sold in traditional news, etc. I also started projects that involved people. The return was amazing!!!!

[mosca]

I'll have to watch the vid later. But I wanted to come back and answer this post.

A few years ago I changed all the news I read. I changed it to sciences, diy solutions, TED talks, Big Think, etc etc. Was amazing the fear sold in traditional news, etc. I also started projects that involved people. The return was amazing!!!!

I've appreciated your posts in your news thread on the Mane and also on your other feeds you've got set up. That kinda stuff needs to become the norm - problem is, it's not easy. It takes work and an entirely different approach. I'm not quite there yet. The problem is that after a long, grueling day of work, people are just too damn used to sitting on the couch and willingly allowing Big Corp. to pump all kinds of poison propaganda it wants to into their brains. Look at the work of Edward Bernays.

Spreading awareness of these techniques and motivating people to become proactive about their lives and attitudes is one step to combat the narcissism you speak of. We need a paradigm shift.

[mosca]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_inequality

Global economic meltdown? Revolution is in the air? I wonder if this growing imbalance has anything to do with this?

I definitely see the continually increasing interdependence of all nations' economies clashing with the inequality of wealth among the players. Major problem that has to be addressed or it will simply become worse.

[alkemical]

I've appreciated your posts in your news thread on the Mane and also on your other feeds you've got set up. That kinda stuff needs to become the norm - problem is, it's not easy. It takes work and an entirely different approach. I'm not quite there yet. The problem is that after a long, grueling day of work, people are just too damn used to sitting on the couch and willingly allowing Big Corp. to pump all kinds of poison propaganda it wants to into their brains. Look at the work of Edward Bernays.

Spreading awareness of these techniques and motivating people to become proactive about their lives and attitudes is one step to combat the narcissism you speak of. We need a paradigm shift.

That's one of my personal goals: to share information, and help establish networks and ecologies between groups of people. COoperation, COworking are vital and important. Competiton is great, but you need to work together to compete.

I don't have television, and made the change several years ago. For me it was ROI.

I am in talks on getting my magazine in distribution, as well as being 'talent' booked for some events. That way I have another distribution channel to help pass on information. It will be cool. (I have a demo copy. :) )

I know people directly connected in my life have really become motivated in their interests (sustainability, starting businesses, etc), so it's been great to see these changes. In some ways i'm a bad friend. I always am 'selling' something. Not for my gain though, but I love sharing ideas.

I love seeing my friends create, succeed, and do what they love. I want people to think, be imaginative, creative, and find ways to make life better.

That's why i'm working on my sales/solutions engineer role. Find solutions to problems. Of course that's my ego talking. :p I just like helping people solve problems. The reward of really helping someone succeed is a joy of mine. Helping people actualize.

[mosca]

I don't have television, and made the change several years ago. For me it was ROI
I'm trying to convince the wife to make the change, she's still holding out. I never watch TV and get all of my media online. I am hoping that once Google TV or similar Internet-TV projects really catch on, that it'll be an easier sell for me.

There is a huge difference between proactively seeking out your information online vs. passively allowing it to be pumped into your brain. Problem is that the major corporations don't want to let go of their stranglehold they have on the masses with TV. And while the Internet is the emerging competitor especially for independent co-ops and networks that you mention, now there's the issue of Net Neutrality as a possible obstacle to that if it gets too big.

[alkemical]

I'm trying to convince the wife to make the change, she's still holding out. I never watch TV and get all of my media online. I am hoping that once Google TV or similar Internet-TV projects really catch on, that it'll be an easier sell for me.

There is a huge difference between proactively seeking out your information online vs. passively allowing it to be pumped into your brain. Problem is that the major corporations don't want to let go of their stranglehold they have on the masses with TV. And while the Internet is the emerging competitor especially for independent co-ops and networks that you mention, now there's the issue of Net Neutrality as a possible obstacle to that if it gets too big.

Totally agree.

What else do you get into, or are interested in?

[alkemical]

Lady Gaga's Message: Love=Violence and Humiliation? (http://bigthink.com/ideas/31352?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bigthink%2Fmain+%28Big+Think+ Main%29)

Peter Lawler on February 24, 2011, 10:35 AM
Peter2

Listen, I'm too old to REALLY care about Lady Gaga. But I've seen her on a couple of award shows and interviewed on SIXTY MINUTES. I gotta admit it: She has a kind of admirable self-discipline in her savvy, intense devotion to her art as she understands it. Unlike, say, Madonna or Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber, she can really sing. She's also quite pretty and doesn't go in for self-mutilation. On the surface she has a kind of an edifying message of embracing the marginalized or whatever. Her songs, though, leave me cold (and Taylor Swift's are often pretty good). One reason is that the music strikes me as quite unmemorable. Another is the words, which, as Susan McWlliams explains, often celebrate sadism and potential sadists. Here's an especially provocative taste:

I’m thinking of the fact that the 2000s were a decade where we suffered the trauma of learning that all our highly vaunted new technologies – cell phones, Internet, digital whatevers – did not mean that we had created conditions for a new age of democratic human flourishing, as we had imagined. (I remember going to an event in Manhattan, back in 1999, and how everyone there – with the exception of the Nation author Jon Leonard – honestly and fervently believed that the Internet was going to mean the end of big money in politics, the end of big business, and the rise of a new egalitarian, more loving, age. Doesn’t that sound awfully quaint now?) Those technologies liberated us in some ways, to be sure, but they also brought new kinds of terror into our lives, from the possibility that we could easily drunk-text our ex-boyfriends or drunk-e-mail our colleagues, to the possibility that our kids could be targeted by predators while sitting in the living room, to the possibility that your very “identity” could be “stolen” in one way or another. Even before the recent economic collapse, it was a decade defined by its everyday terrors, terrors unprecedented in recent cultural memory.

Into this traumatized culture stepped Lady Gaga, who not only channeled the emergent cultural belief that it’s all about “kill or be killed” – but also channeled that belief into catchy songs and pretty stories in which she is always the killer. Through her, we live the sadistic fantasy of hurting before we are hurt, beating before we are beaten.

She’s our post-Paris, post-traumatic poster child, the idol of our latter-day tribe. Gaga’s not that different from any of us really, no matter what she wears, not the singularly pathological figure that some have made her out to be, but a means for figuring the almost pathological costume that hangs over us all.

You'll notice that Susan's post appears on the website FRONT PORCH REPUBLIC, which is devoted to exposing the considerable downsides of our high-tech, libertarian society from a point of view often identified with the writer Wendell Berry. That doesn't mean the contributors necessarily vote Republican (Susan doesn't and she teaches at the fashionably liberal Pomona College), and you'll be relieved to know that most of them didn't like President Bush. I'll have more to say about my friendly disagreements with "Porcher" friends down the road.

But I do agree with Susan on the whole Gaga phenomenon. There really is a lot of anger out there folks, and that's not altogether a bad thing. But the Lady is a sign of our pathology--obviously no remedy....

[alkemical]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-28/why-are-men-angry-manning-up-author-kay-hymowitz-explains/

[orinjkrush]

Narcissism is the original sin.

umm, would that make G*d the original sinner?

The name "narcissism" was coined by Freud after Narcissus who in Greek myth was a pathologically self-absorbed young man who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool.

26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

26. Et dixit Deus, Faciamus hominem in imagine nostra, secundum similitudinem nostram; et dominetur piscibus maris, et volatili coeli, et jumento, et omni terrae, et omni reptili reptanti super terram.

27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

27. Creavit itaque Deus hominem ad imaginem suam, ad imaginem inquam Dei creavit illum: masculum et foeminam creavit eos.

:sunshine:

[alkemical]

umm, would that make G*d the original sinner?

The name "narcissism" was coined by Freud after Narcissus who in Greek myth was a pathologically self-absorbed young man who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool.

26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

26. Et dixit Deus, Faciamus hominem in imagine nostra, secundum similitudinem nostram; et dominetur piscibus maris, et volatili coeli, et jumento, et omni terrae, et omni reptili reptanti super terram.

27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

27. Creavit itaque Deus hominem ad imaginem suam, ad imaginem inquam Dei creavit illum: masculum et foeminam creavit eos.

:sunshine:

Well...that's a subjective argument that...I can argue different ways. In mythology, all the gods and goddesses had their ill tempers, and exhalted qualities. Each of us has a tyrant, a hedonist, etc inside of us. In a philosophical sense, I think the paradox is where the answer is.

But when I look at what's happening, a quote sums it up a bit:

when man becomes an animal, he removes the burden of being a man.

For me...the cannibalism, narcissism, etc...is what I'd say would be 'the devils' work. We have the devil built into us. It is up to us to overcome this part. Allegorical/literal...i am not here to argue religion. Just an illustration of my observations.

[Odysseus]

I'm trying to convince the wife to make the change, she's still holding out. I never watch TV and get all of my media online. I am hoping that once Google TV or similar Internet-TV projects really catch on, that it'll be an easier sell for me.

There is a huge difference between proactively seeking out your information online vs. passively allowing it to be pumped into your brain. Problem is that the major corporations don't want to let go of their stranglehold they have on the masses with TV. And while the Internet is the emerging competitor especially for independent co-ops and networks that you mention, now there's the issue of Net Neutrality as a possible obstacle to that if it gets too big.

The government is actually getting rid of available information. This include reclassifying documents that were public and making previously public information no longer available. I will have to post that information on the net neutrality thread. I have to find the book I read it in. I tried to find a link for the link-a-phobes but there is literally nothing online about it.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Narcissism is the original sin.

Nah - eating the apple from the tree of the knowledge of good/evil isn't the same thing as narcissism. "Original sin" can include narcissism, but it encompasses much more.

[alkemical]

there wouldn't have been a snake or apple if lucifer didn't fall first.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

there wouldn't have been a snake or apple if lucifer didn't fall first.

The Lucifer story is just a variation on the same theme, i.e., the knowledge of good/evil (and all duality) and its consequences.

[alkemical]

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/04/21/narcissism-epidemic-why-there-are-so-many-narcissists-now

Narcissism Epidemic: Why There Are So Many Narcissists Now
An author of The Narcissism Epidemic explores why today's kids—and adults—feel so entitled

[alkemical]

The Lucifer story is just a variation on the same theme, i.e., the knowledge of good/evil (and all duality) and its consequences.

Which is why Narcissism is the original sin, is the idea i'm exploring.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/04/21/narcissism-epidemic-why-there-are-so-many-narcissists-now

Narcissism Epidemic: Why There Are So Many Narcissists Now
An author of The Narcissism Epidemic explores why today's kids—and adults—feel so entitled

The author obviously doesn't have a clue what she's talking about.

Her basic premise, i.e., that narcissism is an expression of excessive self-love or of having "too much" self-esteem is just the opposite of the truth.

Narcissism springs from an inability to love or esteem oneself adequately which, in turn, compels the narcissistic individual to constantly seek to garner esteem from others and from outside of himself (i.e., to seek "other esteem.")

Narcissism is rooted in childhood experience. Children depend on their parents or source figures to provide mirroring (that is, to provide a positive and authentic image of themselves until they reach the stage in their development where they are able to form their own self-image.)

When the parents or caregivers fail at this task, then the unfulfilled need for narcissistic mirroring is carried into adult life and becomes toxic.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Which is why Narcissism is the original sin, is the idea i'm exploring.

Narcissism starts out as a legitimate childhood need.

It's when this need goes unmet that it later becomes toxic (or "sin" if you like.)

(See above post.)

[alkemical]

The author obviously doesn't have a clue what she's talking about.

Her basic premise, i.e., that narcissism is an expression of excessive self-love or of having "too much" self-esteem is just the opposite of the truth.

Narcissism springs from an inability to love or esteem oneself adequately which, in turn, compels the narcissistic individual to constantly seek to garner esteem from others and from outside of himself (i.e., to seek "other esteem.")

Narcissism is rooted in childhood experience. Children depend on their parents or source figures to provide mirroring (that is, to provide a positive and authentic image of themselves until they reach the stage in their development where they are able to form their own self-image.)

When the parents or caregivers fail at this task, then the unfulfilled need for narcissistic mirroring is carried into adult life and becomes toxic.


She made those points.

[alkemical]

Narcissism starts out as a legitimate childhood need.

It's when this need goes unmet that it later becomes toxic (or "sin" if you like.)

(See above post.)

Telling kids that you are special and unique and better than anyone else, than just saying "I love you" creates this problem too.

[TailgateNut]

Telling kids that you are special and unique and better than anyone else, than just saying "I love you" creates this problem too.


WOW.

Sorry to burst your little bubble of fantasies, but all children are, in fact, special and/or unique.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Telling kids that you are special and unique and better than anyone else, than just saying "I love you" creates this problem too.

It's appropriate (and desirable) to tell children they are special (note: I don't mean "special" in the sense of being more worthy or entitled than anyone else) and unique (which we all are.)

The "better than" message obviously fosters arrogance/grandiosity while "less than" messages engender inadequate self-esteem.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

She made those points.

She did?

Those points are incompatible with her thesis as expressed in the first paragraph.

[alkemical]

It's appropriate (and desirable) to tell children they are special (note: I don't mean "special" in the sense of being more worthy or entitled than anyone else) and unique (which we all are.)

The "better than" message obviously fosters arrogance/grandiosity while "less than" messages engender inadequate self-esteem.

I'm in agreement with the same use of the word "special". It also resides in those parents that don't accept responsibility that their kids "do any wrong".

[alkemical]

She did?

Those points are incompatible with her thesis as expressed in the first paragraph.

Read the 3 pages.

[alkemical]

Narcissistic traits

Thomas suggests that narcissists typically display most, sometimes all, of the following traits:[21]

* An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges
* Problems in sustaining satisfying relationships
* A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)
* Difficulty with empathy
* Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)
* Hypersensitivity to any sleights or imagined insults (see criticism and narcissists, narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury)
* Vulnerability to shame rather than guilt
* Haughty body language
* Flattery towards people who admire and affirm him or her
* Detesting those who do not admire him or her
* Using other people without considering the cost to them of his or her doing so
* Pretending to be more important than he or she is
* Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating his or her achievements
* Claiming to be an "expert" at most things
* Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people
* Denial of remorse and gratitude


Hotchkiss' seven deadly sins of narcissism

Hotchkiss identified what she called the seven deadly sins of narcissism:[22]

1. Shamelessness: Shame is the feeling that lurks beneath all unhealthy narcissism, and the inability to process shame in healthy ways.
2. Magical thinking: Narcissists see themselves as perfect using distortion and illusion known as magical thinking. They also use projection to dump shame onto others.
3. Arrogance: A narcissist who is feeling deflated may reinflate by diminishing, debasing, or degrading somebody else.
4. Envy: A narcissist may secure a sense of superiority in the face of another person's ability by using contempt to minimize the other person.
5. Entitlement: Narcissists hold unreasonable expectations of particularly favorable treatment and automatic compliance because they consider themselves special. Failure to comply is considered an attack on their superiority, and the perpetrator is considered an "awkward" or "difficult" person. Defiance of their will is a narcissistic injury that can trigger narcissistic rage.
6. Exploitation: Can take many forms but always involves the exploitation of others without regard for their feelings or interests. Often the other is in a subservient position where resistance would be difficult or even impossible. Sometimes the subservience is not so much real as assumed.
7. Bad Boundaries: Narcissists do not recognize that they have boundaries and that others are separate and are not extensions of themselves. Others either exist to meet their needs or may as well not exist at all. Those who provide narcissistic supply to the narcissist are treated as if they are part of the narcissist and are expected to live up to those expectations. In the mind of a narcissist there is no boundary between self and other.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism#Healthy_narcissism

[Odysseus]

I was wondering when someone would throw Cutler under the bus but I guess that drum is all beat up.

[alkemical]

I was wondering when someone would throw Cutler under the bus but I guess that drum is all beat up.

ya know...I never thought of "emo" in terms of narcissitic behaviour. hmmm.

[alkemical]

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101014/10355611430/us-gov-t-relying-on-narcissistic-tendencies-to-get-people-to-accept-facebook-friend-requests-to-spy-on-you.shtml

US Gov't Relying On 'Narcissistic Tendencies' To Get People To Accept Facebook Friend Requests To Spy On You

from the the-gov't-wants-to-be-your-friend dept

Were you wondering what the FBI was doing hanging out on Reddit, and using random out-of-context comments to put tracking devices on vehicles? Well, not surprisingly, the government's social networking voyeurism goes much further. Jay points us to the news, revealed via an EFF Freedom of Information Act request, that parts of the government are using social networks to try to "friend" people in order to keep track of them. They even point out that the general desire of individuals to collect more friends means that many won't wonder why a government official they don't know wants to be their friend:

Narcissistic tendencies in many people fuels a need to have a large group of "friends" link to their pages and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don't even know. This provides an excellent vantage point for FDNS to observe the daily life of beneficiaries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities.

Now, as the EFF notes, there's nothing wrong with law enforcement making use of social networking tools to try to deal with crime or terrorism. But they do wonder if the rules should be clearer, noting that:

the memo makes no mention of what level of suspicion, if any, an agent must find before conducting such surveillance, leaving every applicant as a potential target. Nor does the memo address whether or not DHS agents must reveal their government affiliation or even their real name during the friend request, leaving open the possibility that agents could actively deceive online users to infiltrate their social networks and monitor the activities of not only that user, but also the user's friends, family, and other associates.

So, no matter what your narcissistic tendencies might be, and your desire to collect as many friends as possible, perhaps think twice before friending random people you don't know.

[alkemical]

http://www.narcissismepidemic.com/

The Narcissism Epidemic:
Living in the Age of Entitlement

by Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell

Published in April 2009 by Free Press,
a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Buy the book at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

On a reality TV show, a girl planning her Sweet Sixteen wants a major road blocked off so a marching band can precede her grand entrance on a red carpet. Five times as many Americans undergo plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures as ten years ago, and ordinary people hire fake paparazzi to follow them around to make them look famous. High school students physically attack classmates and post YouTube videos of the beatings to get attention. And for the past several years, Americans have been buying McMansions and expensive cars on credit they can't afford.

Although these seem like a random collection of current trends, all are rooted in a single underlying shift in American culture: the relentless rise of narcissism, a very positive and inflated view of self. Narcissists believe they are better than others, lack emotionally warm and caring relationships, constantly seek attention, and treasure material wealth and physical appearance. In The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement, psychologists and professors Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell draw from empirical research and cultural analysis to expose the destructive spread of narcissism. Perhaps most important, they also discuss treatment – what each of us can do to stop the epidemic of narcissism so corrosive to society.

[alkemical]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1691213/new_research_on_narcissism_shown_critical.html

New Research on Narcissism Shown Critical to Understanding Financial Collapse

Young people in growing numbers have a sense of entitlement in the workplace, according to recent research. The problem creates workplace conflicts and is growing, affecting business on many levels.

Research from the University of New Hampshire observes that many younger workers, referred to as Generation Y, believe they are entitled to special privileges and rewards not earned. They demand
AdChoices
preferential treatment and get into conflicts with others on the job. They also have more problems with management than other workers, according to the research results. The fact that this phenomenon is increasing is of special concern for the future of companies and businesses in the country, as related by Paul Harvey, head of the investigative team on this matter.

The research, recently discussed in the Journal of Organizational Behavior is titled, "An empirical examination of the role of attributions in psychological entitlement and its outcomes." It assessed a cross section of workers in order to develop conclusions. Basically they found, as related by Harvey, "Managers have reported a lot of problems associated with this - primarily that these employees have unrealistic expectations and a strong resistance toward accepting negative feedback. Basically entitlement involves having an inflated view of oneself, and managers are finding that younger employees are often very resistant to anything that doesn't involve praise and rewards,"

This may have something to do with the recent corporate scandals, researchers declare. This sense of entitlement from younger workers became pervasive. What the research also established was that those who demand too
AdChoices
much have negative reactions to any criticism and take advantage of workplaces where there are ambiguous rules. This means conflict with supervisors and an unwillingness to look critically at one's own work. Furthermore it interferes with productivity and doing the right thing or even reporting it, the research studies indicate. Narcissistic people feel cheated and strive to get what they believe is their entitlement, thus creating added corporate greed and financial trouble for corporations. It might even figure into the bailout issues, Harvey reveals in his journal article.

Earlier research done in 2007 further substantiates what the researchers at the University of New Hampshire found. A paper presented at the University of Indiana suggested also the growing problem of narcissism and a sense of entitlement growing in the workplace and had suggestions on how to cope with it. Basically the research found that leaving the job or talking to a manager about the problem were ways that worked the best in personally handling the problem when one is an employee. Coping with the problem, research maintains, can cause stress on the job and workplace conflict.

Is the problem growing. A book by Twenge and W. Keith Campbell titled The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement maintains that our nation tends to cultivate narcissistic behavior and that it is exploding. This comes about because people have a sense of entitlement brought about by television talk shows that emphasize loving oneself and also because there is a cutthroat level of interaction within the business and political communities. The authors maintain that the problem is a worldwide phenomena. m,

Issues on narcissism in the workplace, according to the experts noted, suggest this an important area of study since it impacts what happens globally. So researchers continue to study the problem and how it will impact present and future behavior, which could impact how we relate.

[alkemical]

Keeping up with the Jones's, is an extension of narcissism.

[alkemical]

http://www.thenewiq.com/narcissism

The three primary forms that narcissists (self-centered, entitled and non-self-responsible individuals, as well as far too many special interest/lobbying groups) come in include:

1. Learned Helplessness: Narcissists imprisoned in the belief that they are innocent victims of other people and of the 'system,' and that this entitles them to be taken care of or rescued, rather than having to become self-responsible and empowered. The two fools in the outstanding video you watched above are a powerful example of this form of narcissism.
2. Greed: Narcissists imprisoned in boundless ends-justifies-the-means greed, in which they want what they want when they want it and in the quantity they want it, no matter how much this damages other people or society-at-large.
3. Rightness Addiction: Narcissists who are so blinded by their own political, religious, philosophical, economic, or educational ideology, that they believe they are entitled to inflict their allegedly superior or “right” world view and beliefs on others.

All three groups of narcissists have been allowed to damage the fabric of our society to equally devastating degrees for far too long. No, folks, narcissism is not even remotely limited to ‘liberals’ or ‘democrats.’ Nor is it limited to the financially greedy who helped create today's economic mess through unbridled Debtism, profiteering, and using special interest groups to promote narcissism over the common good (see my "Just What Is Greed" post for details). Not by a long shot. It is not limited to any single political or societal group. As I said above, and I'll say it again, narcissism cuts across the entire political political, religious, philosophical, economic, and educational spectrum.

To go a step further, accusing one political party of harboring a society's narcissists is just plain nuts. NONE of the people in the three groups of narcissists I listed above reflect the high-minded principles that live at the core of both the conservative AND the liberal perspectives – and, believe it or not, there ARE high-minded principles at the core of both perspectives. Also as I said above, vilifying either the conservative or the liberal perspective by equating either perspective with these groups of narcissists only magnifies the problem by over-focusing on one group of narcissists while overlooking other groups of narcissists. The same goes for indulging in selective attention about narcissism in different religions, educational systems, economic strategies, health care models, and so forth.

As I write this IntegrityWatch Blog post, the U.S. presidential election is just four days away. After much contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that the candidate who would best serve as the next president of the U.S. is the one whom you believe is most capable of neutralizing the profound societal damage created by all three forms of narcissism. He should be the one who you believe has:

* The clearest vision of the damage that EACH of these three groups of narcissists has been perpetrating on our culture, and the extremity of the threat these three groups of narcissists present to our republic.
* The most passion to neutralize the negative impact that ALL three of these types of narcissists are having at all levels of society and government.
* The greatest amounts of the skills that are necessary for freeing society and government from being manipulated by all three of these types of narcissists.

[alkemical]

I found this interesting:

http://girlshrink.com/misdiagnosing-narcissism-generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad/

Misdiagnosing Narcissism – Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Guest Author: Sam Vaknin

Anxiety Disorders – and especially Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – are often misdiagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

(The use of gender pronouns in this article reflects the clinical facts: most narcissists are men.)

Anxiety is uncontrollable and excessive apprehension. Anxiety disorders usually come replete with obsessive thoughts, compulsive and ritualistic acts, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and somatic manifestations (such as an increased heart rate, sweating, or, in Panic Attacks, chest pains).

By definition, narcissists are anxious for social approval or attention (Narcissistic Supply). The narcissist cannot control this need and the attendant anxiety because he requires external feedback to regulate his labile sense of self-worth. This dependence makes most narcissists irritable. They fly into rages and have a very low threshold of frustration.

Like patients who suffer from Panic Attacks and Social Phobia (another anxiety disorder), narcissists are terrified of being embarrassed or criticised in public. Consequently, most narcissists fail to function well in various settings (social, occupational, romantic, etc.).

Many narcissists develop obsessions and compulsions. Like sufferers of GAD, narcissists are perfectionists and preoccupied with the quality of their performance and the level of their competence. As the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR, p. 473) puts it, GAD patients (especially children):

“(A)re typically overzealous in seeking approval and require excessive reassurance about their performance and their other worries.”

This could apply equally well to narcissists.

Both classes of patients are paralysed by the fear of being judged as imperfect or lacking. Narcissists as well as patients with anxiety disorders constantly fail to measure up to an inner, harsh, and sadistic critic and a grandiose, inflated self-image.

The narcissistic solution is to avoid comparison and competition altogether and to demand special treatment. The narcissist’s sense of entitlement is incommensurate with the narcissist’s true accomplishments. He withdraws from the rat race because he does not deem his opponents, colleagues, or peers worthy of his efforts.

As opposed to narcissists, patients with Anxiety Disorders are invested in their work and their profession. To be exact, they are over-invested. Their preoccupation with perfection is counter-productive and, ironically, renders them underachievers.

It is easy to mistake the presenting symptoms of certain anxiety disorders with pathological narcissism.

Both types of patients are worried about social approbation and seek it actively. Both present a haughty or impervious facade to the world. Both are dysfunctional and weighed down by a history of personal failure on the job and in the family. But the narcissist is ego-dystonic: he is proud and happy of who he is. The anxious patient is distressed and is looking for help and a way out of his or her predicament. Hence the differential diagnosis.

Bibliography

Goldman, Howard G. “ Review of General Psychiatry, 4th ed. “ London, Prentice-Hall International, 1995 “ pp. 279-282

Gelder, Michael et al., eds. “ Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry, 3rd ed. “ London, Oxford University Press, 2000 “ pp. 160-169

Klein, Melanie – The Writings of Melanie Klein – Ed. Roger Money-Kyrle – 4 vols. – New York, Free Press – 1964-75

Kernberg O. – Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism – New York, Jason Aronson, 1975

Millon, Theodore (and Roger D. Davis, contributor) – Disorders of Personality: DSM IV and Beyond – 2nd ed. – New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1995

Millon, Theodore – Personality Disorders in Modern Life – New York, John Wiley and Sons, 2000

Schwartz, Lester – Narcissistic Personality Disorders – A Clinical Discussion – Journal of Am. Psychoanalytic Association – 22 (1974): 292-305

Vaknin, Sam – Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited, 6th revised impression – Skopje and Prague, Narcissus Publications, 2005

Sam Vaknin ( http://samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain – How the West Lost the East.

He served as a columnist for Global Politician, Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

[alkemical]

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/31/narcissism_egypt

America's narcissism taints Egypt coverage
The question we can't stop asking ourselves: What do the demonstrations mean for America?

America doesn't really understand how to respond to a revolution. The demonstrations in Egypt have nothing to do with Tea Parties or neoconservatives or Twitter or Facebook or Fox News. But don't tell Americans!

The media is biased in favor of American action. People on CNN and people on Twitter both demand that Barack Obama and the State Department "do something" about the demonstrations. Announce our support for democracy! Use diplomatic voodoo to make Mubarak step down! Prop up a new Egyptian leader and somehow make this revolution spread to Iran! It's understandable: It goes against the nature of the medium to suggest that we just watch and analyze the events of a faraway nation and examine America's role only in a historical sense. But our national narcissism is infecting every corner of the debate, from all sides

I think supporting Mubarak for 30 years was a bad idea, if also an understandable one based on how we've conducted our foreign policy for 100 years, but I can't imagine what moves the administration could make now that would improve the situation in Egypt for anyone. As we've all seen, America produced the tear gas canisters that the police are using against the demonstrators, so if those demonstrations become anti-American in message, we have only ourselves -- and not their religion -- to blame. Obama has, to my mind, struck the right tone -- removed but obviously not particularly supportive of Mubarak -- and demanding a Big Show of Something or Other from America is a recipe for killing the democracy movement in the cradle.

I made some fun of Fox for its apparent determination to stick with domestic issues while Egypt exploded last week, but why shouldn't it continue to do what it's actually designed to do? No "reporting" happens at that "news channel," and its anchors and pundits are not prepared to discuss the details of Egyptian history. Another misleading discussion of deficit spending is far superior to a fact-free segment on how the "good" dictator might be replaced by the wrong Muslims. Its coverage has been amusingly schizophrenic, actually, because a revolution against a dictator is a pretty feel-good story, but the entire channel is terrified of Islam and foreigners. And you can laugh at Fox for that, but that attitude is only a slightly exaggerated version of how the "respectable" American press is treating the story.

When it is discussing Egypt, Fox is still warning about "the Islamists" -- and Fast Company is justifying the American tech media's urge to say the revolt was facilitated by American social media products. (Has anyone written a piece on how Facebook makes the job of a brutal dictator so much easier? You can track every online movement of would-be revolutionaries without your secret police even having to leave the office!)

No one expects Americans to keep themselves out of the story. Of course Time is going to write a piece on what the U.S. "loses" if Mubarak goes and of course Chris Matthews is demanding to know "who our guy" in Egypt is; unless they can think of this in American terms, our pundits have no clue how to deal with foreign affairs in general, let alone massive civil unrest in an Arab nation that's been "stable" for 30 years.

It's obvious that our government is unsure how to speak to us about this. It would be nice if they treated us like grown-ups and said "we supported Mubarak for fairly obviously reasons for many years and so we're a bit wary of seeing him ousted," but that is not how the State Department has ever communicated.

So our liberal Tumblr users feel self-satisfied because they are keeping up with the latest images out of Cairo and our Bush apologists can feel like his entire foreign policy has been justified and our finest foreign affairs bloggers can happily argue with each other over Israel, as they always do, and meanwhile in Egypt thousands of people will fight for their fundamental human rights, a struggle that has very little to do with your opinions on anything.

[bronclvr]

Man, you are really narcissitic about narcissism-Hilarious!^5:egbgb: :yayaya:

[alkemical]

Man, you are really narcissitic about narcissism-Hilarious!^5:egbgb: :yayaya:

:)

I just became really interested in this. It actually has done me some good. I really looked at myself and saw some traits I wanted to fix.

I do understand the irony of the situation though.

[baja]

:)

I just became really interested in this. It actually has done me some good. I really looked at myself and saw some traits I wanted to fix.

I do understand the irony of the situation though.

This is good stuff Josh. Explains a lot.

Thanks for posting it.

[Odysseus]

:)

I just became really interested in this. It actually has done me some good. I really looked at myself and saw some traits I wanted to fix.

I do understand the irony of the situation though.

People are so wrapped up in personal pressures that this kind of information is not accessible.

Extremists are only going to get worst and it's more self absorbed selfishness that it just getting worst until it gets better.

What is tragic is their is no room in our national discussion for this.

[alkemical]

:crickets:

[cutthemdown]

With the loss of community comes the theory that only personal successes matter, in my opinion. Get people more involved in community, seriously involved not just a cookout at the park, and people become vested in other people's successes too.

For the community to have to come together though, there must be a rallying cause. The country came together after 9/11. Sure some still seemed intent on playing devil's advocate but we were a unified country. Communities sometimes need a similar cause to remind each other what is really important in the world but whenever anything bad happens, we just look to the government for assistance or give up and cast blame.

Two days after Christmas, my uncle's trailer burnt. To the ground, nothing left. We were cleaning that lot out and helping make preparations for another trailer before the fires were even out. I ruined a new pair of boots because the tread on bottom melted flat. There's not many communities aside from small towns that would come together in such a way anymore, from my experience.

When you don't have to worry about anything but numero uno, it's easy to not focus on anyone or anything else. Put the humanity back into the equation and the fundamentals of society can return.

Strictly my opinion, of course.


Not true at all look how New Yorkers pulled together and cleaned up 9-11. Look how when floods hit southern calif you see us all out sand bagging helping out our friends who live in the flood prone hills.

It is true people are selfish, but its more on the little things. I think when push comes to shove Americans still will help one another out.

[alkemical]

Not true at all look how New Yorkers pulled together and cleaned up 9-11. Look how when floods hit southern calif you see us all out sand bagging helping out our friends who live in the flood prone hills.

It is true people are selfish, but its more on the little things. I think when push comes to shove Americans still will help one another out.

one day a year, like christmas. that's the american way.

[JJJ]

This is good stuff Josh. Explains a lot.

Thanks for posting it.

If you think mind-numbing drivel is good stuff then yes I would agree with you.

This guy is the most narcissitic person on this board. The 8 posts in a row on his ironic choice of topics is the only proof you need on that statement.

[Odysseus]

If you think mind-numbing drivel is good stuff then yes I would agree with you.

This guy is the most narcissitic person on this board. The 8 posts in a row on his ironic choice of topics is the only proof you need on that statement.

I would not say the MOST narcissistic person on the this board. You are overlooking a wide host of qualified candidates.

Besides...it's his thread.

[alkemical]

If you think mind-numbing drivel is good stuff then yes I would agree with you.

This guy is the most narcissitic person on this board. The 8 posts in a row on his ironic choice of topics is the only proof you need on that statement.

You are right. I am one of the biggest narcissists you will ever know. One question though, why feed my narcisissm by posting on a thread that doesn't interest you?

[JJJ]

You are right. I am one of the biggest narcissists you will ever know. One question though, why feed my narcisissm by posting on a thread that doesn't interest you?

Because I find your narcissism interesting and being one myself I like to see what I have typed.

[baja]

If you fear death you are a narcissist.

If you don't fear death you're lying

If you know there is no such thing as death you're enlightened.

[alkemical]

Because I find your narcissism interesting and being one myself I like to see what I have typed.

awesome! lol!

[alkemical]

If you fear death you are a narcissist.

If you don't fear death you're lying

If you know there is no such thing as death you're enlightened.

what if someone welcomes death?

[Odysseus]

what if someone welcomes death?

Narcissist with amnesia? A bored narcissist? A Chiefs fan after playoffs?

[alkemical]

Narcissist with amnesia? A bored narcissist? A Chiefs fan after playoffs?

haha! I'm not sure, but that's a good place to start!

[baja]

what if someone welcomes death?

Than they are missing the point.

[alkemical]

Than they are missing the point.

That's pretty common these days.

[baja]

That's pretty common these days.

Actually there are more people waking up to the true essence of who they really are than ever before through recorded history. There have been other Epic cycles though

[Odysseus]

What is the difference between narcissism and hedonism in modern parlance?

[alkemical]

What is the difference between narcissism and hedonism in modern parlance?

Master & Slave.

:)

[JJJ]

Didn't we go through all this nonsense in the 60's already? Good lord.

How many hippies can there be on one football website?

I must have underestimated the influence of Boulder on the average Bronco fan.

[alkemical]

What is the difference between narcissism and hedonism in modern parlance?

Ok, for seriousness:

It's the use of "I". The above post is a great example.

"I" in a narcissistic sense infers EMPIRICAL knowledge and authority. In a hedonist, "I" refers to desires and needs.

[alkemical]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_manipulation#Basic_manipulative_stra tegy_of_a_psychopath

Psychological conditions of manipulators

Manipulators may have any of the following psychological conditions:[1]

* Machiavellian personality
* narcissistic personality disorder
* borderline personality disorder
* avoidant personality disorder
* dependent personality disorder
* histrionic personality disorder
* passive-aggressive behavior
* type A angry personalities
* antisocial personality disorder
* addictive personalities.

Basic manipulative strategy of a psychopath

According to Hare and Babiak[4], psychopaths are always on the lookout for individuals to scam or swindle. The psychopathic approach includes three phases:
1. Assessment phase

Some psychopaths are opportunistic, aggressive predators who will take advantage of almost anyone they meet, while others are more patient, waiting for the perfect, innocent victim to cross their path. In each case, the psychopath is constantly sizing up the potential usefulness of an individual as a source of money, power, sex or influence. Some psychopaths enjoy a challenge while others prey on people who are vulnerable. During the assessment phase, the psychopath is able to determine a potential victim’s weak points and will use those weak points to seduce.
2. Manipulation phase

Once the psychopath has identified a victim, the manipulation phase begins. During the manipulation phase, a psychopath may create a persona or mask, specifically designed to ‘work’ for his or her target. A psychopath will lie to gain the trust of their victim. Psychopaths' lack of empathy and guilt allows them to lie with impunity; they do not see the value of telling the truth unless it will help get them what they want.

As interaction with the victim proceeds, the psychopath carefully assesses the victim's persona. The victim's persona gives the psychopath a picture of the traits and characteristics valued in the victim. The victim's persona may also reveal, to an astute observer, insecurities or weaknesses the victim wishes to minimize or hide from view. As an ardent student of human behavior, the psychopath will then gently test the inner strengths and needs that are part of the victim's private self and eventually build a personal relationship with the victim.

The persona of the psychopath - the “personality” the victim is bonding with - does not really exist. It is built on lies, carefully woven together to entrap the victim. It is a mask, one of many, custom-made by the psychopath to fit the victim's particular psychological needs and expectations. The victimization is predatory in nature; it often leads to severe financial, physical or emotional harm for the individual. Healthy, real relationships are built on mutual respect and trust; they are based on sharing honest thoughts and feelings. The victim's mistaken belief that the psychopathic bond has any of these characteristics is the reason it is so successful.
3. Abandonment phase

The abandonment phase begins when the psychopath decides that his or her victim is no longer useful. The psychopath abandons his or her victim and moves on to someone else. In the case of romantic relationships, a psychopath will usually seal a relationship with their next target before abandoning his or her current victim. Sometimes, the psychopath has three individuals on whom he or she is running game: the one who has been recently abandoned, who is being toyed with and kept in the picture in case the other two do not work out; the one who is currently being played and is about to be abandoned; and the third, who is being groomed by the psychopath, in anticipation of abandoning the current "mark". Abandonment can happen quickly and can occur without the current victim knowing that the psychopath was looking for someone new. There will be no apologies, or at least no sincere apologies, for the hurt and pain the psychopath causes, because psychopaths do not appreciate these emotions.
See also

* Advertising
* Appeal to emotion
* Brainwashing
* Bullying
* Culture of fear
* Coercion
* Coercive persuasion
* Common sense
* Confidence trick
* Critical thinking
* Crowd manipulation
* Dirty tricks
* Discrediting tactic
* Dissimulation
* Dumbing down
* Emotional blackmail
* Enabling
* Fallacy
* Fear mongering
* Fraud
* Half-truth
* Interrogation
* List of confidence tricks
* List of fallacies
* Media manipulation
* Mind control
* Mobbing
* Personal boundaries
* Persuasion
* Propaganda
* Psychological abuse
* Psychopathic thought processes
* Shaming
* Sheeple
* Shills
* Smear campaign
* Social engineering (political science)
* Social engineering (security)
* Social influence
* Spin
* Victim blaming
* Victimology
* Weasel words
* Whispering campaign
* Workplace bullying

[Odysseus]

Ok, for seriousness:

It's the use of "I". The above post is a great example.

"I" in a narcissistic sense infers EMPIRICAL knowledge and authority. In a hedonist, "I" refers to desires and needs.

Oh.

What's a sin? Does this assume Christian EMPIRICAL knowledge or could this fall under non Abrahamic faith's as well? What about the poor Atheist who, by definition, do not exist. I mean really. How do you prove that you believe in nothing? :devil:

[Requiem]

What the **** is going on here?

[Gort]

A psychopath will lie to gain the trust of their victim. Psychopaths' lack of empathy and guilt allows them to lie with impunity; they do not see the value of telling the truth unless it will help get them what they want.

this is why lie detector tests are complete pseudo-scientific bunk. you have to "know" you are lying and "care" that you're lying to exhibit any sort of physiological signs. Penn & Teller did a good Bullsh*t episode on this. any employer or law enforcement agency that requires one to submit to a lie detector test should be avoided, because the test administrator will get whatever results he/she wants to get going into the "test".

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

this is why lie detector tests are complete pseudo-scientific bunk. you have to "know" you are lying and "care" that you're lying to exhibit any sort of physiological signs.

This argument doesn't work because if you don't know you're lying then, by definition, it's not lying.

[Gort]

This argument doesn't work because if you don't know you're lying then, by definition, it's not lying.

i put it in quotes to show that i was using the term loosely. a psychopath doesn't "care". a crazy person doesn't "know".

[Odysseus]

What the **** is going on here?

It depends on your paradigm.

[Odysseus]

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/31/narcissism_egypt

America's narcissism taints Egypt coverage
The question we can't stop asking ourselves: What do the demonstrations mean for America?
America doesn't really understand how to respond to a revolution. The demonstrations in Egypt have nothing to do with Tea Parties or neoconservatives or Twitter or Facebook or Fox News. But don't tell Americans!
The media is biased in favor of American action. People on CNN and people on Twitter both demand that Barack Obama and the State Department "do something" about the demonstrations. Announce our support for democracy! Use diplomatic voodoo to make Mubarak step down! Prop up a new Egyptian leader and somehow make this revolution spread to Iran! It's understandable: It goes against the nature of the medium to suggest that we just watch and analyze the events of a faraway nation and examine America's role only in a historical sense. But our national narcissism is infecting every corner of the debate, from all sides

I think supporting Mubarak for 30 years was a bad idea, if also an understandable one based on how we've conducted our foreign policy for 100 years, but I can't imagine what moves the administration could make now that would improve the situation in Egypt for anyone. As we've all seen, America produced the tear gas canisters that the police are using against the demonstrators, so if those demonstrations become anti-American in message, we have only ourselves -- and not their religion -- to blame. Obama has, to my mind, struck the right tone -- removed but obviously not particularly supportive of Mubarak -- and demanding a Big Show of Something or Other from America is a recipe for killing the democracy movement in the cradle.

I made some fun of Fox for its apparent determination to stick with domestic issues while Egypt exploded last week, but why shouldn't it continue to do what it's actually designed to do? No "reporting" happens at that "news channel," and its anchors and pundits are not prepared to discuss the details of Egyptian history. Another misleading discussion of deficit spending is far superior to a fact-free segment on how the "good" dictator might be replaced by the wrong Muslims. Its coverage has been amusingly schizophrenic, actually, because a revolution against a dictator is a pretty feel-good story, but the entire channel is terrified of Islam and foreigners. And you can laugh at Fox for that, but that attitude is only a slightly exaggerated version of how the "respectable" American press is treating the story.

When it is discussing Egypt, Fox is still warning about "the Islamists" -- and Fast Company is justifying the American tech media's urge to say the revolt was facilitated by American social media products. (Has anyone written a piece on how Facebook makes the job of a brutal dictator so much easier? You can track every online movement of would-be revolutionaries without your secret police even having to leave the office!)

No one expects Americans to keep themselves out of the story. Of course Time is going to write a piece on what the U.S. "loses" if Mubarak goes and of course Chris Matthews is demanding to know "who our guy" in Egypt is; unless they can think of this in American terms, our pundits have no clue how to deal with foreign affairs in general, let alone massive civil unrest in an Arab nation that's been "stable" for 30 years.

It's obvious that our government is unsure how to speak to us about this. It would be nice if they treated us like grown-ups and said "we supported Mubarak for fairly obviously reasons for many years and so we're a bit wary of seeing him ousted," but that is not how the State Department has ever communicated.

So our liberal Tumblr users feel self-satisfied because they are keeping up with the latest images out of Cairo and our Bush apologists can feel like his entire foreign policy has been justified and our finest foreign affairs bloggers can happily argue with each other over Israel, as they always do, and meanwhile in Egypt thousands of people will fight for their fundamental human rights, a struggle that has very little to do with your opinions on anything.

This is why Al Jezeera, in some instances, is more legitimate than our best press.

Our press is paid largely to print the same crap over and over again. You would not believe how positive the locals are about this kind of thing but despite living in these places their voices are drowned out by our own speculation and inability to ask HONEST questions.

[alkemical]

We like to ask questions that don't mean anything.

[Odysseus]

We like to ask questions that don't mean anything.

What do you mean by that? (sardonic wit intended)

[alkemical]

it's got electrolytes! (idiocracy)

At my last job I sat next do a 6'2" amazon beauty. But, she's a "sex n the city" girl now. makes me sad for her.

The last two weeks before I left, she was on some weight loss kick. She wasn't fat @ all. convinced she had to lose 20lbs.

It amazes me. Our culture fascinates and terrifies me.

[Odysseus]

What is amazing is many in the third world countries are enamored with us. It's like we are rock stars of the planet.

Can't get laid? Go overseas! Third world country chics dig Americans. Aussie chics dig Americans. Mexican chics dig Americans. Visiting Spain? Amsterdam? Indonesia?

"Hey...hey!!! I want to be a rock star!" -- Nickelback--

You American! You rich!

No matter what kind of dirt bag trailer you crawled from under as soon as you hit the beach you are a rock star because you are American.

It's a welcome diversion for the hedonist but the poor narcissist misses the point entirely.

[alkemical]

LOL, that's very interesting. I wonder how our narcisism is commoditized in other markets.

[alkemical]

Narrator: When the fight was over, nothing was solved, but nothing mattered. We all felt saved.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Narcissism isn't the original sin.

The original sin is eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The author of Genesis got that one right.

[alkemical]

I'm not really getting into a biblical debate in this thesis, this was just something i put together, but...let me ask some questions, and maybe you can help me get a clearer picture:

It is my understanding that lucifer challeneged god and he was cast out of heaven. He then came to our world, and then tempted eve with the fruit.

Is that the gist of it, or am i missing something?

Also, with cain and able, cain had envy and didn't share his best. he was selfish...it was a reflection of "all about me". (keeping up/outdoing the jonses)

Eve was tempted by by lucifer, but why was she tempted...what was her reasoning?

I wrote this after looking at these situations with a lense of narcissism. when i see how narcissism leads to follies, and how it causes us to misstep and i saw this as a sin told times over in the bible.

this isn't meant to be authoritative, just a way to look at something different.

I appreciate being able to ask a few questions and maybe illustrate more the POV used to mirror something i've seen.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

I'm not really getting into a biblical debate in this thesis, this was just something i put together, but...let me ask some questions, and maybe you can help me get a clearer picture:

It is my understanding that lucifer challeneged god and he was cast out of heaven. He then came to our world, and then tempted eve with the fruit.

Is that the gist of it, or am i missing something?

Also, with cain and able, cain had envy and didn't share his best. he was selfish...it was a reflection of "all about me". (keeping up/outdoing the jonses)

Eve was tempted by by lucifer, but why was she tempted...what was her reasoning?

I wrote this after looking at these situations with a lense of narcissism. when i see how narcissism leads to follies, and how it causes us to misstep and i saw this as a sin told times over in the bible.

this isn't meant to be authoritative, just a way to look at something different.

I appreciate being able to ask a few questions and maybe illustrate more the POV used to mirror something i've seen.

You have to be able to read the language of myth and symbol.

The story of the fall/expulsion from the garden is a metaphor for how the wholeness of the self is lost through acculturation, social adaptation, etc.

Eden is the state of consciousness newborns experience before the split, e.g., between self/other, good/bad, etc., occurs.

People usually spend the first half of their lives trying to banish those aspects of themselves parents, teachers, churches, etc., deem unacceptable or unworthy, and subsequently spend the second half trying to get those things back.

[alkemical]

http://samvak.tripod.com/journal93.html

(The use of gender pronouns in this article reflects the clinical facts: most narcissists are men.)

Anxiety Disorders – and especially Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – are often misdiagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

Anxiety is uncontrollable and excessive apprehension. Anxiety disorders usually come replete with obsessive thoughts, compulsive and ritualistic acts, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and somatic manifestations (such as an increased heart rate, sweating, or, in Panic Attacks, chest pains).

By definition, narcissists are anxious for social approval or attention (Narcissistic Supply). The narcissist cannot control this need and the attendant anxiety because he requires external feedback to regulate his labile sense of self-worth. This dependence makes most narcissists irritable. They fly into rages and have a very low threshold of frustration.

Like patients who suffer from Panic Attacks and Social Phobia (another anxiety disorder), narcissists are terrified of being embarrassed or criticised in public. Consequently, most narcissists fail to function well in various settings (social, occupational, romantic, etc.).

Many narcissists develop obsessions and compulsions. Like sufferers of GAD, narcissists are perfectionists and preoccupied with the quality of their performance and the level of their competence. As the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR, p. 473) puts it, GAD patients (especially children):

"… (A)re typically overzealous in seeking approval and require excessive reassurance about their performance and their other worries."

This could apply equally well to narcissists. Both classes of patients are paralysed by the fear of being judged as imperfect or lacking. Narcissists as well as patients with anxiety disorders constantly fail to measure up to an inner, harsh, and sadistic critic and a grandiose, inflated self-image.

(continued below)


The narcissistic solution is to avoid comparison and competition altogether and to demand special treatment. The narcissist's sense of entitlement is incommensurate with the narcissist's true accomplishments. He withdraws from the rat race because he does not deem his opponents, colleagues, or peers worthy of his efforts.

As opposed to narcissists, patients with Anxiety Disorders are invested in their work and their profession. To be exact, they are over-invested. Their preoccupation with perfection is counter-productive and, ironically, renders them underachievers.

It is easy to mistake the presenting symptoms of certain anxiety disorders with pathological narcissism. Both types of patients are worried about social approbation and seek it actively. Both present a haughty or impervious facade to the world. Both are dysfunctional and weighed down by a history of personal failure on the job and in the family. But the narcissist is ego-syntonic: he is proud and happy of who he is. The anxious patient is distressed and is looking for help and a way out of his or her predicament. Hence the differential diagnosis.


___

I find these two PD's very interesting and very similar. I have a friend who is typed with GAD - but it seems a lot more like NPD.

it seems they are different sides of the same coin.

[alkemical]

You have to be able to read the language of myth and symbol.

The story of the fall/expulsion from the garden is a metaphor for how the wholeness of the self is lost through acculturation, social adaptation, etc.

Eden is the state of consciousness newborns experience before the split, e.g., between self/other, good/bad, etc., occurs.

People usually spend the first half of their lives trying to banish those aspects of themselves parents, teachers, churches, etc., deem unacceptable or unworthy, and subsequently spend the second half trying to get those things back.

that's one interpretation.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

that's one interpretation.

Is there an alternative interpretation you prefer?

[alkemical]

Doesn't everybody?

Or, in the spirit of this thread:

Yeah, mine! :)

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Doesn't everybody?

Or, in the spirit of this thread:

Yeah, mine! :)

So do you believe there was literally a talking snake, or was that whole thing a metaphor?

If a metaphor, then for what?

[alkemical]

So do you believe there was literally a talking snake, or was that whole thing a metaphor?

If a metaphor, then for what?

It's not about what i believe, and if you don't find narcissism as a problem, maybe the snake is talkin' to you. :)

[Odysseus]

Burning the Qur'an is narcissism.

My African continent based religion is better than yours?

[baja]

How poetic if this event ends up starting WWIII

[Odysseus]

How poetic if this event ends up starting WWIII

I am pretty sure it started with 9/11. This cycle of violence is not stopping for 100 years. These people are not like us.

[alkemical]

shiny stuff doesnt distract them?

[alkemical]

You have to be able to read the language of myth and symbol.

The story of the fall/expulsion from the garden is a metaphor for how the wholeness of the self is lost through acculturation, social adaptation, etc.

Eden is the state of consciousness newborns experience before the split, e.g., between self/other, good/bad, etc., occurs.

People usually spend the first half of their lives trying to banish those aspects of themselves parents, teachers, churches, etc., deem unacceptable or unworthy, and subsequently spend the second half trying to get those things back.


From there, it was more of an impression that you were looking to debate which was right. Perhaps it was MY impression of you from interacting with you from an extended period of time....

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

It's not about what i believe, and if you don't find narcissism as a problem, maybe the snake is talkin' to you. :)

Thought I clarified my view of narcissism, but perhaps not.

Narcissism only becomes a problem when children whose normal developmental needs for narcissistic mirroring go unmet and when those children grow up to be adults who are driven by the "repetition compulsion," i.e., the compulsion to reenact their childhood deprivation in an attempt to resolve it.

[alkemical]

Thought I clarified my view of narcissism, but perhaps not.

Narcissism only becomes a problem when children whose normal developmental needs for narcissistic mirroring go unmet and when those children grow up to be adults who are driven by the "repetition compulsion," i.e., the compulsion to reenact their childhood deprivation in an attempt to resolve it.

You mean like a Tryant who's way is "my way or the hi-way", or "It's all mine, i can't share" - or "I don't like what you have, so i'll take it"?


What's the DSM have to say about NPD: (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001930/)

Narcissistic personality disorder

Last reviewed: November 14, 2010.

Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition in which people have an inflated sense of self-importance and an extreme preoccupation with themselves.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The causes of this disorder are unknown. An overly sensitive personality and parenting problems may affect the development of this disorder.
Symptoms

A person with narcissistic personality disorder may:

React to criticism with rage, shame, or humiliation

Take advantage of other people to achieve his or her own goals

Have excessive feelings of self-importance

Exaggerate achievements and talents

Be preoccupied with fantasies of success, power, beauty, intelligence, or ideal love

Have unreasonable expectations of favorable treatment

Need constant attention and admiration

Disregard the feelings of others, and have little ability to feel empathy

Have obsessive self-interest

Pursue mainly selfish goals



I'd be willing to say 85% of the people on this planet are more narcissistic than they presume. (not a fact, just my own limited observation).

From reading The Bible, it seemed to me that Lucifer's fall from grace was due to his narcissism:

http://www.preparingforeternity.com/sr/sr01.htm

Lucifer was envious and jealous of Jesus Christ. Yet when all the angels bowed to Jesus to acknowledge His supremacy and high authority and rightful rule, he bowed with them; but his heart was filled with envy and hatred. Christ had been taken into the special counsel of God in regard to His plans, while Lucifer was unacquainted with them. He did not understand, neither was he permitted to know, the purposes of God. But Christ was acknowledged sovereign of heaven, His power and authority to be the same as that of God Himself. Lucifer thought that he was himself a favorite in heaven among the angels. He had been highly exalted, but this did not call forth from him gratitude and praise to his Creator. He aspired to the height of God Himself. He gloried in his loftiness. He knew that he was honored by the angels. He had a special mission to execute. He had been near the great Creator, and the ceaseless beams of glorious light enshrouding the eternal God had shone especially upon him. He thought how angels had obeyed his command with pleasurable alacrity. Were not his garments light and beautiful? Why should Christ thus be honored before himself?

He left the immediate presence of the Father, dissatisfied and filled with envy against Jesus Christ. Concealing his real purposes, he assembled the angelic host. He introduced his subject, which was himself. As one aggrieved, he related the preference God had given Jesus to the neglect of himself. He told them that henceforth all the sweet liberty the angels had enjoyed was at an end. For had not a ruler been appointed

Page 15

over them, to whom they from henceforth must yield servile honor? He stated to them that he had called them together to assure them that he no longer would submit to this invasion of his rights and theirs; that never would he again bow down to Christ; that he would take the honor upon himself which should have been conferred upon him, and would be the commander of all who would submit to follow him and obey his voice.

There was contention among the angels. Lucifer and his sympathizers were striving to reform the government of God. They were discontented and unhappy because they could not look into His unsearchable wisdom and ascertain His purposes in exalting His Son, and endowing Him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the Son.

Lucifer was jealous of his brother Jesus. Just as Cain to Able...Just as keeping up with the Jones', etc etc.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

From reading The Bible, it seemed to me that Lucifer's fall from grace was due to his narcissism:

http://www.preparingforeternity.com/sr/sr01.htm



Lucifer was jealous of his brother Jesus. Just as Cain to Able...Just as keeping up with the Jones', etc etc.

I guess I'm more inclined to agree with the Tom Waits interpretation, i.e., "there's no devil - it's just God when he's drunk." ;)

[alkemical]

I guess I'm more inclined to agree with the Tom Waits interpretation, i.e., "there's no devil - it's just God when he's drunk." ;)

that would perfectly reflect the narcissism of someone who's an asshole when drunk. ;D

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

that would perfectly reflect the narcissism of someone who's an a-hole when drunk. ;D

So even a drunk a-hole is still God playing hide and seek with Himself?

[alkemical]

So even a drunk a-hole is still God playing hide and seek with Himself?

Don't we all?

[alkemical]

http://mindhacks.com/2011/05/31/a-reflection-of-the-greatest/

A surprising study has just appeared in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology about whether narcissists realise what others think about their egotistical self-image.

Narcissism is a trait where people are more concerned about themselves than others and tend to think they are better and more important than their peers.

This has often been considered to be a form of self-delusion or self-serving cognitive bias, while this new study deliberately tested whether highly narcissistic realised what others thought about them.

The study came to the surprising conclusion that narcissism is usually accompanied by a crystal clear insight into how others don’t share the shining view that narcissists have of themselves.

You probably think this paper’s about you: Narcissists’ perceptions of their personality and reputation

J Pers Soc Psychol. 2011 May 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Carlson EN, Vazire S, Oltmanns TF.

Do narcissists have insight into the negative aspects of their personality and reputation? Using both clinical and subclinical measures of narcissism, the authors examined others’ perceptions, self-perceptions, and meta-perceptions of narcissists across a wide range of traits for a new acquaintance and close other (Study 1), longitudinally with a group of new acquaintances (Study 2), and among coworkers (Study 3).

Results bring 3 surprising conclusions about narcissists: (a) they understand that others see them less positively than they see themselves (i.e., their meta-perceptions are less biased than are their self-perceptions), (b) they have some insight into the fact that they make positive first impressions that deteriorate over time, and (c) they have insight into their narcissistic personality (e.g., they describe themselves as arrogant). These findings shed light on some of the psychological mechanisms underlying narcissism.



Link (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21604895)to PubMed entry for study.

[Rohirrim]

Is self preservation just ego, or biological imperative? And where does self preservation end and narcissism begin? Do some have a stronger sense of self preservation than others? Perhaps it is nothing more than an expression of hormonal drives to procreate? Do those who are higher on the mating attractiveness chain exhibit a stronger sense of self preservation that those who are lower down?

[alkemical]

Is self preservation just ego, or biological imperative? And where does self preservation end and narcissism begin? Do some have a stronger sense of self preservation than others? Perhaps it is nothing more than an expression of hormonal drives to procreate? Do those who are higher on the mating attractiveness chain exhibit a stronger sense of self preservation that those who are lower down?

Why does everyone rate themselves as above average?

[Rohirrim]

Why does everyone rate themselves as above average?

Self preservation.

[alkemical]

Self preservation.

Bias?

[alkemical]

ro~

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39044399/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/t/most-us-think-were-hotter-average-survey-says/

We’re fatter than we’ve ever been; at the same time, our idea of the “ideal” body has gone from lean to impossibly leaner. Still, we’re pretty damn pleased with the way we look, a new survey suggests.

In an msnbc.com/ELLE magazine survey, about 60 percent of men and women alike said they were pretty satisfied with the way they look, thank you very much — even though many of them admit that they wouldn’t exactly call their bodies “ideal.” (It’s worth noting that’s about the same percentage of Americans who are overweight.)

In fact, most of us think we're better-looking than average — between a 6 and a 7 on a 10-point scale — according to the online survey of nearly 26,000 msnbc.com and ELLE.com readers, ranging in age from 18 to 75. The survey was conducted by UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles, researchers.

The under-30s are an especially confident group: 28 percent of young women and 30 percent of young men rate themselves between an 8 and a 10.


___

give me your POV on how self preservation ties into a biased POV?

*Just curious and looking to see another POV.

[Butterscotch Stallion]

Sadly, these attributes are all too common in today's society, and to a degree I believe the Internet has a lot to do with it (as does bad parenting by Baby Boomers-question authority!)-we are keyboard warriors, and the lack of face-to-face conversation emboldens some, taking inhibitions away and leading to a gang mentality-

As for it being "someone else's fault", to me that's a lack of taking responsibility for your actions, again, generally a parenting flaw-

I do appreciate your take on it however-

Great article from David Brooks NYTimes titled, “It’s Not About You.” Discussing how this year’s graduating class received all the wrong messages from their elders. I blame the baby boomers, also. Here are some excerpts from the article that pertain to some of the posts from this thread:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/opinion/31brooks.html?src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB


"This year, one is conscious of the many ways in which this year’s graduating class has been ill served by their elders. More important, their lives have been perversely structured. This year’s graduates are members of the most supervised generation in American history. Through their childhoods and teenage years, they have been monitored, tutored, coached and honed to an unprecedented degree. Worst of all, they are sent off into this world with the whole baby-boomer theology ringing in their ears. If you sample some of the commencement addresses being broadcast on C-Span these days, you see that many graduates are told to: Follow your passion, chart your own course, march to the beat of your own drummer, follow your dreams and find yourself. This is the litany of expressive individualism, which is still the dominant note in American culture.

College grads are often sent out into the world amid rapturous talk of limitless possibilities. But this talk is of no help to the central business of adulthood, finding serious things to tie yourself down to. The successful young adult is beginning to make sacred commitments — to a spouse, a community and calling — yet mostly hears about freedom and autonomy.

Today’s graduates are also told to find their passion and then pursue their dreams. The implication is that they should find themselves first and then go off and live their quest. But, of course, very few people at age 22 or 24 can take an inward journey and come out having discovered a developed self.

Most successful young people don’t look inside and then plan a life. They look outside and find a problem, which summons their life. A relative suffers from Alzheimer’s and a young woman feels called to help cure that disease. A young man works under a miserable boss and must develop management skills so his department can function. Another young woman finds herself confronted by an opportunity she never thought of in a job category she never imagined. This wasn’t in her plans, but this is where she can make her contribution.

Most people don’t form a self and then lead a life. They are called by a problem, and the self is constructed gradually by their calling. The graduates are also told to pursue happiness and joy. But, of course, when you read a biography of someone you admire, it’s rarely the things that made them happy that compel your admiration. It’s the things they did to court unhappiness — the things they did that were arduous and miserable, which sometimes cost them friends and aroused hatred. It’s excellence, not happiness, that we admire most.

Finally, graduates are told to be independent-minded and to express their inner spirit. But, of course, doing your job well often means suppressing yourself. As Atul Gawande mentioned during his countercultural address last week at Harvard Medical School, being a good doctor often means being part of a team, following the rules of an institution, going down a regimented checklist.

Today’s grads enter a cultural climate that preaches the self as the center of a life. But, of course, as they age, they’ll discover that the tasks of a life are at the center.

Fulfillment is a byproduct of how people engage their tasks, and can’t be pursued directly. Most of us are egotistical and most are self-concerned most of the time, but it’s nonetheless true that life comes to a point only in those moments when the self dissolves into some task. The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It’s to lose yourself.”

[Rohirrim]

Very interesting take.

[gunns]

“It’s Not About You.”

Bingo! :thumbsup:

That's the lesson our kids should be learning. I have always told my kids this. It's not about you. It's about what you can do to make life better for others.

I hate the fact many of you blame this on baby boomers but it's appropriate. Our generation was one that came after a World War and began a period of prosperity and innovation where our parents provided us with as much as they could. We became "self entitled". Many of us then raised our children with this concept as we had seen our parents do it and felt slighted if we were slighted anything. This is why our welfare system got so out of control, why work, just give it to us...I had all these kids, you have to help me....and we lost sight of the reality of our own choices. Didn't matter, I'm in this predictament, now help me. I find so many baby boomers my age that have many of the same physical ailments I do that plop themselves down, state they cannot work because of them, and stick their hand out. Drives me crazy. And don't get me started on this new "mental impairments" disabilities. I went off on one lady, who had the nerve to complain to me that I didn't understand having a husband leave her with 6 kids and not paying child support. Her psychiatrist had diagnosed her as majorily depressed. I told her first off those kids had two parents. Before blaming her husband for not supporting them, what the hell was she doing to support them. Then I told her she was depressed because she was sitting on her couch every day feeling sorry for herself, she needed to get up, set an example FOR her kids, get to work and quit thinking about HERSELF everyday. She chose to have those kids, now take care of them, she didn't have the right to sit around depressed and live off of others while she felt sorry for herself. We have provide people with excuses, which we label nicely as barriers. BULL****.

BUT, by blaming the baby boomers you have all fallen into the same narcissistic behavior. By blaming us, you have failed to take responsibility for your own actions. If you recognize the problem, then stop. One problem with a majority of parents nowadays is not making their children take responsibility. My children were ALWAYS guilty until proven innocent. We always had discussions on what they had done each day to make someone else's life a little better. And hell, it's paid off. I come home and my lawn is mowed and weed whacked. No half assed job as if they feel it an obligation, they do the best they can to make it look great. I never ask them to do it. Might seem like a little thing, but I really appreciate it.

[alkemical]

Word.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Related:

How to Land Your Kid in Therapy

"Why the obsession with our kids’ happiness may be dooming them to unhappy adulthoods. A therapist and mother reports."

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/how-to-land-your-kid-in-therapy/8555/

[alkemical]

Spare the rod?

[alkemical]

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/332492/title/Narcissists_need_no_reality_check

Narcissists need no reality check
Despite inflated egos, they evaluate themselves with unexpectedly clear eyes

[alkemical]

http://www.principiadiscordia.com/bip/18.php

Ego Sickness


We’re hand in hand in Aftermath
the age of what will be
Horizon smoke is rising
from the wreckage that is We
And in the smoke what shapes will form?
What phantoms will we make?
For we are made of form and formula
but also dross mistake

-from Hand in Hand in Aftermath

You know how a virus works? It goes into a cell and changes the code so that the cell only produces more virii. In a way the virus steals the cell's identity, making it a part of a viral system.

If you ask me, the worst phase of being sick is when you've been sick for so long you forget what it's like to be well. In a way, you've lost a bit of yourself and become the virus.

People catch and spread memes like viruses. They're contagious, self-replicating little buggers. Like any virus, their goal is to spread themselves, to become a large, healthy, self-sustaining colony. We have to be careful how we handle memes because at a certain point its difficult to tell the difference between when we're using the memes and when the memes are using us.


"Your father knows everything about you", he said. "So he has you all figured out. He knows who you are and what you do, and there is no power on earth that can make him change his mind about you".
Don Juan said that everybody that knew me had an idea about me, and that I kept feeding the idea with everything I did. "Don't you see ?", he asked dramatically. "You must renew your personal history by telling your parents, your relatives, and your friends everything you do. On the other hand, if you have no personal history, no explanations are needed; nobody is angry or disillusioned with your acts. And above all no one pins you down with their thoughts".
(...) "But that's absurd", I protested. "Why shouldn't people know me ? What's wrong with that ?"; "What's wrong is that once they know you, you are an affair taken for granted and from that moment on you won't be able to break the tie of their thoughts. I personally like the ultimate freedom of being unknown. No one knows me with steadfast certainty, the way people know you, for instance". "But that would be lying". "I'm not concerned with lies or truths", he said severely. "Lies are lies only if you have personal history".
-Journey to Ixtlan, Carlos Castenada

Consider, for example, the "C student". In his attempt to understand himself, he internalizes "I am a C student." Armed with that identity he has no drive to do better. He accepts "who he is". Or consider the average voter. He identifies with a political party and probably agrees with them about many things. The party tells him which sides of any given issues to support - no need to think for oneself there!

It can be a sickness.

The Machine, of course, is programmed to capitalize on this sickness. There are a variety of memes available to customize your identity. What color iPod do you want? Which TV shows are YOUR TV shows? What brand of cologne smells like YOU?

I am not suggesting that people abandon their sense of self. But I do think that people get addicted to self-definition and it leads to inflexibility. That’s the Con talking - convincing each individual that she’s composed of the ordinary dross we wade through every day.

Well turn down that noise – when I get off the plane I’m skipping the baggage claim.
This is not to say that memes are harmful diseases. But some of them can be if you get infected, infested, obsessed and invested.

One of the most pervasive and prevalent memes in this modern world is the meme called I Am. We live in an overpopulated era, floating in a sea of interchangeable people. In this ocean our biggest life preserver is a sense of individuality - the notion that each and every one of us is unique, distinct. One wants to say "I am not the crowd. I am not the group. I am not just another cog in the machine."

We jump through personal hoops to distinguish ourselves from the others. We customize our identities so as to retain a sense of self, a buoy bobbing in the tide of the collective.

But this ego meme can become a disease. In moderation, it helps us understand ourselves. In excess, we define ourselves. In time, these definitions become rigid, inflexible.

[alkemical]

http://www.principiadiscordia.com/bip/18.php

Ego Sickness


We’re hand in hand in Aftermath
the age of what will be
Horizon smoke is rising
from the wreckage that is We
And in the smoke what shapes will form?
What phantoms will we make?
For we are made of form and formula
but also dross mistake

-from Hand in Hand in Aftermath

You know how a virus works? It goes into a cell and changes the code so that the cell only produces more virii. In a way the virus steals the cell's identity, making it a part of a viral system.

If you ask me, the worst phase of being sick is when you've been sick for so long you forget what it's like to be well. In a way, you've lost a bit of yourself and become the virus.

People catch and spread memes like viruses. They're contagious, self-replicating little buggers. Like any virus, their goal is to spread themselves, to become a large, healthy, self-sustaining colony. We have to be careful how we handle memes because at a certain point its difficult to tell the difference between when we're using the memes and when the memes are using us.


"Your father knows everything about you", he said. "So he has you all figured out. He knows who you are and what you do, and there is no power on earth that can make him change his mind about you".
Don Juan said that everybody that knew me had an idea about me, and that I kept feeding the idea with everything I did. "Don't you see ?", he asked dramatically. "You must renew your personal history by telling your parents, your relatives, and your friends everything you do. On the other hand, if you have no personal history, no explanations are needed; nobody is angry or disillusioned with your acts. And above all no one pins you down with their thoughts".
(...) "But that's absurd", I protested. "Why shouldn't people know me ? What's wrong with that ?"; "What's wrong is that once they know you, you are an affair taken for granted and from that moment on you won't be able to break the tie of their thoughts. I personally like the ultimate freedom of being unknown. No one knows me with steadfast certainty, the way people know you, for instance". "But that would be lying". "I'm not concerned with lies or truths", he said severely. "Lies are lies only if you have personal history".
-Journey to Ixtlan, Carlos Castenada

Consider, for example, the "C student". In his attempt to understand himself, he internalizes "I am a C student." Armed with that identity he has no drive to do better. He accepts "who he is". Or consider the average voter. He identifies with a political party and probably agrees with them about many things. The party tells him which sides of any given issues to support - no need to think for oneself there!

It can be a sickness.

The Machine, of course, is programmed to capitalize on this sickness. There are a variety of memes available to customize your identity. What color iPod do you want? Which TV shows are YOUR TV shows? What brand of cologne smells like YOU?

I am not suggesting that people abandon their sense of self. But I do think that people get addicted to self-definition and it leads to inflexibility. That’s the Con talking - convincing each individual that she’s composed of the ordinary dross we wade through every day.

Well turn down that noise – when I get off the plane I’m skipping the baggage claim.
This is not to say that memes are harmful diseases. But some of them can be if you get infected, infested, obsessed and invested.

One of the most pervasive and prevalent memes in this modern world is the meme called I Am. We live in an overpopulated era, floating in a sea of interchangeable people. In this ocean our biggest life preserver is a sense of individuality - the notion that each and every one of us is unique, distinct. One wants to say "I am not the crowd. I am not the group. I am not just another cog in the machine."

We jump through personal hoops to distinguish ourselves from the others. We customize our identities so as to retain a sense of self, a buoy bobbing in the tide of the collective.

But this ego meme can become a disease. In moderation, it helps us understand ourselves. In excess, we define ourselves. In time, these definitions become rigid, inflexible.

[epicSocialism4tw]

“It’s Not About You.”

Bingo! :thumbsup:

That's the lesson our kids should be learning. I have always told my kids this. It's not about you. It's about what you can do to make life better for others.

I hate the fact many of you blame this on baby boomers but it's appropriate. Our generation was one that came after a World War and began a period of prosperity and innovation where our parents provided us with as much as they could. We became "self entitled". Many of us then raised our children with this concept as we had seen our parents do it and felt slighted if we were slighted anything. This is why our welfare system got so out of control, why work, just give it to us...I had all these kids, you have to help me....and we lost sight of the reality of our own choices. Didn't matter, I'm in this predictament, now help me. I find so many baby boomers my age that have many of the same physical ailments I do that plop themselves down, state they cannot work because of them, and stick their hand out. Drives me crazy. And don't get me started on this new "mental impairments" disabilities. I went off on one lady, who had the nerve to complain to me that I didn't understand having a husband leave her with 6 kids and not paying child support. Her psychiatrist had diagnosed her as majorily depressed. I told her first off those kids had two parents. Before blaming her husband for not supporting them, what the hell was she doing to support them. Then I told her she was depressed because she was sitting on her couch every day feeling sorry for herself, she needed to get up, set an example FOR her kids, get to work and quit thinking about HERSELF everyday. She chose to have those kids, now take care of them, she didn't have the right to sit around depressed and live off of others while she felt sorry for herself. We have provide people with excuses, which we label nicely as barriers. BULL****.

BUT, by blaming the baby boomers you have all fallen into the same narcissistic behavior. By blaming us, you have failed to take responsibility for your own actions. If you recognize the problem, then stop. One problem with a majority of parents nowadays is not making their children take responsibility. My children were ALWAYS guilty until proven innocent. We always had discussions on what they had done each day to make someone else's life a little better. And hell, it's paid off. I come home and my lawn is mowed and weed whacked. No half assed job as if they feel it an obligation, they do the best they can to make it look great. I never ask them to do it. Might seem like a little thing, but I really appreciate it.

We blame the baby boomers for jacking up the country with naivete and ignorance. But y'all are cool to hang out with. ;D

[jhns]

I really don't see a problem with narcissism.

[baja]

I really don't see a problem with narcissism.

Ha that is no surprise

[Tombstone RJ]

Narcissism is the original sin.

actually pride is the original sin.

[Requiem]

Jesus was a sinner.

[alkemical]

No, he was a ginger.

[alkemical]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PsychologyBlog/~3/rY5mkQleo50/the-problem-with-narcissistic-leaders.php

Narcissistic leaders reduce information sharing in groups, leading to poor task performance. Narcissistic leaders are everywhere. Just think of Steve Jobs, Nicolas Sarkozy or Bill Clinton. Normally we don't share narcissists' self-inflated opinions of themselves, but for leadership it's different. Narcissists know how to radiate all the qualities of a good leader: they have high self-esteem, they are confident and they display authority. Research has shown they seem to automatically take over leaderless groups (Brunell et al., 2008). But how does a narcissistic leader affect group performance? That's the question Nevicka et al. (2011) ask in a new study published in Psychological Science. One job of a leader is to help the members of a group communicate with each other. If information is flowing between group members, then better decisions can be made. So, what do narcissists do to information flow amongst group members? What Nevicka et al.'s study found was that narcissistic leaders actually reduced information sharing among groups, which led to worse group performance. Crucially, though, this wasn't the perception of the group. The groups thought the narcissists were doing a good job, when actually they weren't (as measured by task performance). This perception is probably dynamic: "It is possible that over time, group members’ positive impressions of narcissistic leaders decrease. Indeed, previous research has shown that although people’s impressions of narcissists are positive at first, they decline over time (Paulhus, 1998)." But by then we're stuck with them.

[alkemical]

http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web03/2011/12/25/22/enhanced-buzz-11072-1324869276-3.jpg

[alkemical]

http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web03/2011/12/25/22/enhanced-buzz-11060-1324869251-3.jpg

[alkemical]

http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/web05/2011/12/25/22/enhanced-buzz-32261-1324869335-9.jpg

[alkemical]

http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/terminal05/2011/12/25/22/enhanced-buzz-14441-1324869264-66.jpg

[jhns]

I laugh when people cry about this stuff. Every single time, this crying comes from an individual that hates themselves. It isn't our fault that you are ugly on the inside as well as the outside. Some of us love ourselves because it is easy to see how much better we are than people like you.

[alkemical]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214122038.htm

Cellphone Use Linked to Selfish Behavior

ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2012) — Though cellphones are usually considered devices that connect people, they may make users less socially minded, finds a recent study from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.