Friday, December 17, 2010

Sociopaths in media: Lie to me, Apt Pupil, Lolita

The episode "Beat the Devil" from season two of "Lie to Me" features a homicidal sociopath. Apart from the usual Hollywood sociopath stereotypes, there were some interesting insights into how a sociopath might react differently to emotional stimuli. Apart from this murderer of the week, the main character Cal Lightman is also sociopathic (at least enough for the other characters/viewers to sometimes wonder).

A reader had me watch the film Apt Pupil, which is based on a novella by Stephen King. The thing I liked about the film is that at any given time it is not clear who the sociopath(s) is/are or who is playing whom.

Speaking of which, I also just watched the Kubrick version of Lolita. I love the book. There is something so sensual about Nabokov's word choices, as if there were nothing more pleasurable than reading/writing the English language. The film was a bit of a disappointment, apparently because of censorship. The newer 90's version is allegedly more true to the book (and therefore presumably better). The best part about the film is that it has more of an omniscient narrator feel, so (I think) you get a better idea of the extent of Lolita's scheming. In the book Lolita is seems more of a victim.

126 comments:

  1. Shut up fuckers, Kurt Cobain died.

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  2. Omg, is that really you in the picture ? You hag.

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  3. Yes, Mikey, that's really me: The one with the unfaltering knowledge of self-worth.

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  4. Wow Psychophant, I just took a look at your blog. You must have put a lot of effort into that thing, right?~

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  5. Do sociopaths celebrate Christmas?

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  6. I just figured out something exceptionally strange.You know the apple logo? With the bite gone from the apple.Doesn't that have something to do with the garden of Eden? Fascinating.

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  7. I presume I'm a sociopath, but whose to know?

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  8. Any of you plan on venturing into the world of business? If not already there that is.

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  9. What is Psychophant meant to mean ? Is it a combination between psychopath and infant? Or what?

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  10. Mike, it's a play on the word sycophant.

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  11. It means rape in hebrew

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  12. Thanks for the explanation notme.

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  13. some people say lolita was abused and maybe in some ways she was. but she was smart too. she knew how to work a sugar daddy. :)

    cool post, m.e.

    (any fire this comment draws will be cheerfully ignored.:)

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  14. that's ok Mike. but do you know what sycophant means?

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  15. "MAN THAT IS A LOT OF MIKES." lol.

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  16. I am so bored of theses pointless discussions. I do enjoy the posts.

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  17. I wan't a suga momma! I had a sociopathis friend who had one and he had the f-ing life. Sure she was large and unpleasent, but he got to travel, not work, play video games, and smoke lots of free weed. However awesome it could be, I would feel bad about being that dependent on someone.

    Would you do it?

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  18. You'd feel bad being dependent? And you're name is socio Steve?

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  19. How many of you are suffering from blue-balls? Just curious.

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  20. Bring something up Socio steve.

    You have anything in the works that could be amusing?

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  21. Okay no takers. Soooo,
    how well do socio's spot each. Do you realize they are immediatly or not till you hve gotton to know them?

    Would it be fun to meet another and not let on in anyway till they think they've got you eating out of their hand?

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  22. Can someone please explain to me what glibness and superficial charm means? There seems to be no solid information on this criteria and each site varies on the subject.I feel the same way about pathological lying,some say it's compulsive lying with no meaning and others explain that it is making up stories in order to con a potential victim.

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  23. It's adopting a persona that people will like, not because you want to but because.....well i guess to fit in and be awesome.

    Socios say all the right things at the right time because they have encountered it previously. they know what works and they exploit it. It's superficial because it's not that person being that person, its because you are that person.



    btw. do i have anything in the works.....lately i have really wanted to commit a robery, one in which i benifit greatly but havent found a good situation, where it would be traceless and clean.

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  24. Glibness and charm seem to work hand in hand. Glibness is like having a smooth way of doing things without much effort and charm is the part that gets the attention for it. I can't explain it well but that's my experience with it. I don't have either of them:)

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  25. I think glibness means looking good on the outside but once you really get to know them you find that they are really all surface with not that much intelligence or insight.

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  26. Glibness is just a synonym for nonchalance. Everything seems effortless and informal.

    Superficial charm is basically the same thing. No self-consciousness, no shame, not a hint of shyness.

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  27. Post,are you claiming that people suffering with an anti-social personality never feel anxious in social settings?

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  28. When did I claim anything?

    Relevant to your question, I would say that that would not be an unreasonable claim. Obviously comorbidity with an anxiety disorder would prove to be an exception, though.

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  29. I imagine feeling negative emotions most of the time could be linked to suffering.

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  30. Are you claiming to know what emotions I feel?~

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  31. I'm not saying I can't be charming because I can...I mean I have manners and I'm respectful to other people unless they give me a reason not to be.

    I'm retracting my last sentence from my prior comment because I'm not sure if that's really true..lol.

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  32. Anon, I don't think they attach their feelings to positive or negative, maybe sometimes they do but not often. They just feel what they feel, or don't feel, without labels like we do. They may be aware of their behavior even but it's not a negative thing to them. It just is what it is with them.

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  33. Thanks but that comment doesn't hold any weight.You either feel negative thoughts or you don't antisocial or not.

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  34. Care to expand on that? Or are we just to take it as gospel?

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  35. I don't think all people feel their thougts. I think some people, like sociopaths for example, get used to them. And they're ok. Like I said not all the time but for the most part. It's my experience with a sociopath who was antisocial as well. Are all sociopaths antisocial? Don't know. But he didn't suffer too much of anything!! I'm the one that got depressed..he's fine.

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  36. Why do sociopaths enjoy books like lolita? why isn't that book banned?

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  37. Uh, it was banned. And not only sociopaths enjoy it. Duh.

    I can't believe someone would come in here and talking about banning books.

    Are you kidding me? Is this the 50s?

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  38. The only book that should be banned is the bible.

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  39. Although I'll agree Lightman seems sociopathic, I don't think he's a sociopath. Postmodern Sociopath pointed out a few reasons in the past as to why.

    There are no good or bad emotions. Just strong emotions and weak emotions. How they affect you depends on context, I suppose. I can't speak for an empath. For me, most emotions are very fleeting, except for rage, which is rare to attain. That one tends to linger.

    The only emotion that seems useless is remorse/nagging guilt, and I can only speculate as it's not something I've felt. You screwed up. Own up, Chin up and move on. Jeesh.

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  40. Glib is an adjective, meaning slick; smooth-talking.

    The Synonyms for Glib are: artful, articulate, easy, eloquent, facile, fast-talking, flip, fluent, garrulous, hot-air, insincere, loquacious, plausible, quick, ready, silver-tongued, slippery, smooth operator, smooth-spoken, smooth-tongued, suave, talkative, urbane, vocal, vocative and voluble.

    The Antonyms for Glib are: inarticulate, quiet, stuttering, tongue-tied, and uncommunicative.

    Glib used in a sentence: The salesman was so glib that the costumer did not notice the dented fender on the used car.

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  41. An interesting aside... Kurt Sutter, one of the main men behind The Shield and Sons of Anarchy posted this today:

    "Even on medication, my first response to any challenge (fear) is never, "Let me understand" (reason). It's always, "Let me cut your fucking heart out" (anger). I've done quite a bit of work on myself in the last twenty years and I've come to realize that some of that response is just my humanity -- primal survival instincts. Some of it is my obsessive personality. Some of it was being raised in an unpredictable (alcoholic) household. But mostly, it's because anger is my friend. Rage, not so much, but anger feels so fucking good. It's the sauce that makes the bland noodles taste like God's been cooking. It gets my dick hard, my confidence up, my creativity ticking and focuses my mind like a bloody, gleaming straight razor. I've discovered that I seek out opportunities, consciously and unconsciously, that trigger my favorite emotion. I stir up trouble, then open wide to receive the backlash, using it to feed my beautiful hostile machine."

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  42. I don't like anger. It leaves my head and the rest of my body aching for hours after I get damned angry.

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  43. Anger does terrible things to me. And if I try to not think about whatever it is that's making me angry it just gets worse. I have to distract myself..tv, read or do some yoga. But sometimes I can't help it and my mind will race and I want to jump out of my skin because the fact is I can't control everything. Other times, most of the time, I will say..this isn't that important and then I'm good.

    When I was younger I would go into denial about being angry and I started to have scary thoughts about things. I ended up getting depressed and taking some meds.

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  44. I very rarely get truly angry but when I do I have all the physical symptoms from the adrenaline and non-adrenaline hormones.

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  45. My anger has a body count.

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  46. If a sociopath cant tolerate boredom how would he/she find prison?

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  47. Postmodern Sociopath said...

    Are you claiming to know what emotions I feel?~

    yeah

    i know what you feel

    its an enormous lack of self worth and ensuing insecurity which you mask behind your bullshit 'sociopath' persona. Youre not kidding anyone. if you were brought to task for the harmful shit you claim to have done you would cry and blame your parents, then as a last ditch say the devil made you do it.

    man up bitch

    xx

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  48. @sociopathlove: you asked why socios would like the book, lolita. (of course, though, you can't predict the reading habits of an entire group based on one person's blog entry.) but i also think you assumed that m.e.'s post had to do with identifying with humbert humbert. i read it in a completely different way. he seems to have more admiration for lolita.

    (and since he's already mentioned the movie, "the girl with the dragon tattoo, i'll just keep this assumption--in some ways, the two stories are similar.)

    lolita is someone who could have been rendered completely helpless---it's what that kind of abuse does. but she was cunning and quick and had her anger to draw on. she turned the situation around to suit her as much as was possible.

    she didn't have the luxury of morals and ethics to fall back on--in that situation, you survive or you don't. many socios will find ways to not only survive such things, but to turn the tables on those who would otherwise do us(?) harm. (i put the question mark after us, because i'm still not sure if i am socio or not.)

    that's what i read in his post. i have an admiration for lolita too. she knew how to work it--and she did it so that she maintained as much of her power as she could.

    that's just my opinion. :)

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  49. Anyone looking for sex?

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  50. my first response to any challenge (fear) is never, "Let me understand" (reason). It's always, "Let me cut your fucking heart out" (anger). I've come to realize that some of that response is just my humanity -- primal survival instincts. Some of it was being raised in an unpredictable (alcoholic) household. But mostly, it's because anger is my friend. Rage, not so much, but anger feels so fucking good. my confidence is up, my creativity ticking and focuses my mind like a bloody, gleaming straight razor.

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  51. I finished watching Lolita. It left me feeling sorry for Humbert.

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  52. Was Saddam Hussein a narc or a psycho?

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  53. Hm, Nikita, did you hit submit on accident or something? Or putting emphasis on it?

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  54. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  55. (^^ Deleted for correction.)

    My guess would be that Nikita posted the parts that applied to her and threw out the worthless parts like those about God and being a man.~

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  56. I thought it was a rather colorful line :P And at least now I know Sutter is medicated. He sure acts the part...

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  57. Dear Anons:

    Did I offend you in some way? I just want you to like me.~ It's just... ~sniff~... I don't have any real friends, and so I have to come here and put on a big show to get some validation from these clearly superior people.~ And all I get is nasty, hurtful messages from people like you.~ I cry myself to sleep every night because of your incisive insights about my real personality.~ WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME?~

    Love and kisses,
    Postmodern Sociopath



    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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  58. yo yo yo. look who's back. it's only me.

    apparently, Nikita is a woman of mystery...

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  59. Post is drunk. I like this Post. Well, i always like Post, but especially this one.

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  60. Your first post was correct Psychophant.

    **********************************
    Hm, Nikita, did you hit submit on accident or something? Or putting emphasis on it?


    Were you Not Able to figure that out?.

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  61. dear PMSer

    eat a dick

    -Anons

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  62. Panty Sniffing NarcissistDecember 17, 2010 at 9:29 PM

    Who's drunk?

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  63. Post, I still care for you. I don't know how much stock you should put in that though. I am a psychophant after all. I'm sure it's not the same as having the love of the anons.

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  64. Post, How do you manage to function if you are an alcoholic?

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  65. i think they're another humbert humbert. and i'd like to have one for breakfast.

    IF i would get that close to one.

    i suspect they're all the same though---just one who has (finally) learned to space his sentences. and if not--they are like a hundred barbie dolls with one head.

    a non-anon

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  66. YouNarcissitcWankersDecember 17, 2010 at 9:35 PM

    How's it hanging?

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  67. *cries*

    Not more name calling! :'( Hold me, notme.

    I called up Post, and he said I could come over for a girl's night in. He has Ben & Jerry's, Terms of Endearment and a few Anonymous commenters locked up in his basement. He said we can remove the nipples of those meany heads and and and... something about a thermal lance.

    Wanna go? I could use the company. *sniffs* :'D

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  68. I'm not an alcoholic. I'm not drunk, either.

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  69. Notable knows all about my thermal lance. ;)

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  70. I want to become an alcoholic,it sounds like a fun lifestyle.

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  71. YouNarcissitcWankersDecember 17, 2010 at 9:39 PM

    You're all a bunch of flea bitten pussies.

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  72. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  73. This post has been removed by the anal.

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  74. Slander. Lies and Slander. And here? How dare you!



    Word verification: nomonsu
    She was delectable.

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  75. My wife has a hair styling thing she calls a bump it. I thought I'd try it in my pants today instead of socks. It worked awesome. I walked around all day saying Oh My Rod! Would You Look At This?!

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  76. If i slap a sociopath in the mouth what will he do?

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  77. It probably all depends on what you slap the sociopath in the mouth with.

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  78. There's something about these anons, I can't put my finger on it but they're making me a little hot.

    I wonder if they're underage?
    no, no, it's impossible, surely.~

    If only we were in a room together there's no telling what I'd be doing...

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  79. That's an excellent question, Leon. I guess a lot of it would have to deal with the context of the situation, and your perceived relationship with him. Are you close? Distant? Complete strangers? Does s/he have a history of violence? There are however a limited number of possibilities, variables if you will, to any situation. More than likely, the outcome would involve him moving with his auntie and uncle in Bel-air.

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  80. Notme, are you doing anything in that room by yourself?

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  81. i will slap your mouth baby

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  82. I love this place because I am sure this much laughter has to be good.

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  83. oh yes, yes...

    oh wait. i will slap myself in the mouth?

    interesting approach there...

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  84. Notme, I think Noteme wrote that, not you.

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  85. Incidentally, I loved Peter Sellers character(s) in Lolita.

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  86. i know, who the hell is noteme? not I.
    has it shut them up? mission completed.

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  87. I know, notme, because yesterday when notme was not you, it bothered me.

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  88. notme is only bothered when she is PMSing.

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  89. Post menstrual syndrome is like all the personality disorders rolled into one week, lol.

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  90. haha. yes. that's why i was emotional a couple days ago. i felt like a turd.

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  91. Did anyone else notice that Quilty's sidekick in Lilita seemed like she might be who Uma Thurman's character in Pulp Fiction was fashioned after? She reminded me of her immediately.

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  92. Postmodern & Notable you both sound like intellectuals, although a common belief is that a sociopath often gets into fights with others (Physically) But yet i don't see this as part of you're character, could i be wrong?

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  93. I haven't read or seen Lolita.

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  94. Actually, the common theme is early/adolescent violence. And yes, I met that criteria. As for Postmodern Sociopath...

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  95. I drowned a kid in a river. Wanna fight about it?

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  96. Very well, care to share some stories Notable? I'm fascinated by this site and the various stories/experiences, that it's readers bring to the table. :)

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  97. Why do i have the feeling Post isn't joking? :x

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  98. Notable and Post, what were you up to? Canoodling in the cupboard of love?

    At least time your entrances so that we don't get suspicious.

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  99. Probably doing some synchronized smoking, notme.

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  100. I need another smoke. Postmodern Sociopath has that effect on me.

    Um, well, what do you want to know, specifically? Or do you just want us to provide stories of how much of a bastard we can be? Because I'd rather you entertain me than the other way around.

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  101. Well there is no point in me rambling on, i am nothing more that a boring and a bored empath.Could you share some of you're past/troubles, before you became enlightened? If you'd like.

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  102. The archives would probably serve to satisfy your curosity, Anon.

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  103. Is Oliver Stone a sociopath? He is glib and hangs with Fidel Castro, oh yeah and he made NBK.

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  104. Hey Mel Gibson, Is There Any Room Left in the Bat shit insane? Oliver Stone Wants In!

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  106. You people are fucking sick.

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  107. that's interesting. and chronic trolls are the picture of health. actually, it's a good indication of pd. so why don't you just relax and enjoy the conversation.

    psychophant--if you liked lolita, you might also enjoy "the girl who.." series. ("the girl with the dragon tattoo," "the girl who played with fire," etc.

    they're also a pretty good picture of what a female sociopath can do when messed with.

    if you thought you felt a little sorry for humbert by the end of lolita, you should see what happens to the people who try to cause trouble for "the girl who.."

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  108. Hmm... I wonder what happens to a sociopathic female during that time of the month, on an emotional level at least...

    Fire breathing gorgons with nail polish?

    I kid.

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  109. lol. not much different from what male sociopaths go through any time someone gets a little too in your face.

    i would say "sorry for that kid who drowned in the lake." but i'd be lying.

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  110. Well, looks like glenn's fucked off. I get into fights fairly often and I enjoy it. I've been thinking about taking up boxing or martial arts, but I can't really be bothered to do all that training. I've also been thinking about joining the army, because I want to get my hands on some serious fire power and get into gunfights, but I don't want to sit around in the barracks for days at a time, waiting to be deployed. Anyone here been in the military?

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  111. Evening guys,

    had a nice Saturday evening, home early and all?


    Anon Fri. 10:35 PM:

    "I'm fascinated by this site and the various stories/experiences"

    I'm interesting in learning why you find these articles and posts specifically 'fascinating'?

    Is it that what you read here is not how you think most people think or work emotionally? Are we really that special and uncommon?

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  112. Oh, forgot about Lolita:

    I love the old version (starring James Mason). I haven't seen the remake, but would like to.

    I also haven't read the book, but I'm considering it (when I get time).

    On the topic of loving 'underage' people, I have no problems with it for as long as that love isn't being forced upon them.

    I basically disagree with a virtual Law on when somebody is under age and when they're old enough. A 'guide line' might be appropriate, but sexually maturity happens at a very different age in between individuals. The problem is much more connected with mental maturity, and that's where laws - or rather guidelines - might play a role.

    As an example: Myself. I can't remember an age where I wasn't sexually aware at some level. I can remember as early as age 6 that I was clearly sexually functional - even though it seems that I couldn't well have been capable of reproducing.

    I have seen the same in kids as young as age 4 and wouldn't be surprised if it happens even earlier to some.

    And perhaps I should emphasize that I'm not talking about hypervigilance in any form here!

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  113. Apt Pupil, come on it was so easy to spot it. You should have recognized the kid was def one the first 5 minutes.

    As for his mentor, not really, well he was conditioned into it. Thus he isn't a natural one, but a socially made ASPD.

    The kid is a great role model for all tho.

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  114. There's a new BBC series called Sherlock with is like a modern day version of Sherlock Holmes. The character Sherlock says he's a sociopath. I always suspected as much, from his behavior in the books.

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