Monday, May 7, 2012

Politically calculating

I've been swamped with work lately and in boredom found this article on the new tell-all book about Barack Obama.  The book includes descriptions about Obama from several people that knew him in his younger days, including contemporaneous accounts about him from his ex-girlfriends letters and diaries.


"The success of 'Dreams' has given Obama nearly complete control of his own life narrative, an appealing tale that has been the foundation of his political success. But Maraniss's biography threatens that narrative by questioning it: Was Obama's journey entirely spiritual and intellectual? Or was it also grounded in the lower realms of ambition and calculation?" Dylan Byers and Glenn Thrush write.

Obama granted Maraniss a 90-minute interview, some surmise in an effort to control his image. Cooke's diary entries, however, reveal that Obama's struggle over what to reveal has been ongoing -- since his youth.

"Friday, March 9, 1984 It's not a question of my wanting to probe ancient pools of emotional trauma ... but more a sense of you [Barack] biding your time and drawing others' cards out of their hands for careful inspection -- without giving too much of your own away -- played with a good poker face," she wrote.  "And as you say, it's not a question of intent on your part -- or deliberate withholding -- you feel accessible, and you are, in disarming ways. But I feel that you carefully filter everything in your mind and heart -- legitimate, admirable, really -- a strength, a necessity in terms of some kind of integrity. But there's something also there of smoothed veneer, of guardedness ... but I'm still left with this feeling of ... a bit of a wall -- the veil."


Doesn't this sound like a sociopath?  I have read a lot of people calling Obama a sociopath before but have never really put much stock in it until now.  Let's just say I wouldn't reject the thought of him being a sociopath, and I mean that in the nicest way.


102 comments:

  1. No, it doesn't sound like a sociopath. It sounds like a public figure.

    Of course he must have some ambition and calculation... so what? Those aren't inherently bad things. You have to have some drive to rise up in any field, let alone the most powerful in the world. Most career-minded people 'calculate' their careers... some call it 'planning'.

    The only people calling him a sociopath are conservatives trying to make him look bad. It's not grounded in anything... except specious stuff like this and birth certificates. Any polarizing figure is going to be called a sociopath by one side or the other. (See: "All Exes Are Always Sociopaths")

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you, but it's still possible for him to be a socio.
      Anyway it wouldn't change anything.

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    2. There should be a veil over a political figure. People don't want to be led by someone knowing their personal shit and they know poker face is necessary for strategy. Politics is a game. All politicians need to learn it. It can be learned.

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    3. I don't think he's a sociopath either. Every time I see a picture online of him, and they have some sociopath claim on it, I giggle.

      I think we are starting to stretch the definition of what it is to be a sociopath, too far out.
      And Medusa is right as well; any person who comes into office who doesn't prove himself to be some kind of messiah, and make miracles happen, is going to be called some kind of con, by one side or other.

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    4. Bah. Unless you're the Dalai Lama people aren't going to be satisfied that you are a "good" person. We live in a country that enjoys holding people to unrealistic standards that they themselves would never even bother trying to achieve.

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    5. See: all exes are pussies

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  2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmwNrNaTcs4&feature=related

    Here is what I think.

    SV

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    Replies
    1. Suck it sweetheart. He isn't your boyfriend, Sam

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  3. Sociopath..I would say every succesful politician is a sociopath that is the job description...lol larger than life personality, charismatic, calculating, smooth, seducing with words, relying on personality rather than truth...textbook they are the best

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  4. It doesn't matter if I'm a sociopath, psychopath etc etc. What matters is that I lead a "good" and "happy" life like everyone else. And who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect-and I don't live to be-but before you start pointing fingers... make sure you hands are clean!

    NT filth

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  5. I think he is a Narc. He gets too upset when he is dissed, in a very personal way, that seems more Narc than sociopath. He does not seem charming enough for a sociopath, either. I don't get where people call him charming. He isn't, to me.

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    Replies
    1. He hasn't charmed me, either. Your post might be right on - he's a Narc.

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    2. You can't see him working his stuff like a sociopath.Narc all the way

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  6. I was going to leave SW, yesterday. I thought,"Why do I stay in this insane place? Is it to help people? I got all indignant that I was not appreciated. Then, I realized that SW presents a world view that is not found elsewhere. One can have all the riches in the world, all the beauty and prestige but unless one has one's mental health, one has nothing. Look at Princess Di and Micheal Jackson. SW hurts me in the gut. It drives me crazy. I drive it crazy but I keep coming back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. why does it hurt you Monica? Isn't it a relief to realize that the bogeyman is real?

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    2. Monica, don't leave, some of your comments are entertainig, or provide useful imformation. But why are you so sad (well you sound like it)?
      Oh, but you are the real Monica, right?

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    3. Mee: I am new here was curious are you a sociopath? Do you ever want to change?

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    4. I am the real one. Thanks for your comments, Mee. I wasn't expecting anything like that. I will come back and answer your questions, later. I need to think about them! x

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    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    6. (To anon 503)
      Maybe. I am satisfied with the life I live.

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    7. what makes you believe you are a sociopath?

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    8. Why do you let people control you here? I have been here off and on for a long time. Different accounts. This place is what you make it. Choose to be pulled in, or choose to read and comment. No one forces you to debate. Say your piece and bounce~

      Delete
    9. @BLuD-KLoT, I don't know why I write here, but I have nothing against answering these stupid questions if I have time for it, they don't reveal anything anyway.

      Anon: The fact that I am selfish, manipulative, cold-hearted and do everything just to please myself makes me believe it. I can do something nice to people, but not because I care, but because I can gain something by helping. You can look at the list of symptoms and most of them will be true about me (I might be sadistic, but I had no probllems with that yet). Also I don't fit for other disorders or as a normal person and I did many tests, where I always get the sociopath label. I also made few my friends do it and they turned out to be normal.

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    11. Freaking comedy of errors in this place.

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    12. Monica,

      If you don't hurt, or itch just a lil bit when you look in the mirror everyday, you should probably not be able to be here. It's something I am used to. I can usually see through myself. But I can't if I have perception problems. If someone sees through me here, they're just giving me a different angle, or giving me their take on how other people may (or may not) see me, or how I can adjust the way I perceive myself. I can't always see clearly because I get clouded by things I get fixated on. Here is the place people won't coddle you. Most people need to be handled with kid gloves. Here, notsomuch.

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    13. Mee I feel likeyou. I always get "criminal mindset" and "prin socio" personality. Doesn't necessarily mean much, just sort of interesting and something I never thought of before. It explains a lot though!

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    14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    15. Tests only show that you might have an antisocial personality. But if you back them up with your personal stuff, odds that you are might increase.
      But it really is interesting, since only about 25% of people are socios/psychos.

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    16. Thank you, Anon 8:28 !

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    17. You're welcome, Monica. :)

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  7. Bill Clinton is definitely a sociopath..although I love him I can see his charisma is just a weapon he uses

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    Replies
    1. It's awesome that he got a beej in Da house.

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    2. That is the one time we know about. I'm sure anal isn't new in that House.

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    3. Those assholes are no different than us or anyone else. They have the same warped sense of self, fart, scratch their asses, pick their noese. I'm sure Obama has tapped his ugly bulldawg of a wife as well jerked off a few times in the Chair.

      Smoke and mirrors people.

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    4. lol true about da wife

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    5. Bulldawg lol. SHe doesn't have the pushed in face lol. Leave her alone lol.

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    6. ::laughs:: Clinton was a good president. He's not the first president to go extra-marital in the white house, he's just the first to have it publically exploited across the nation.

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    7. I don't think she's so ugly. I think she'd be pretty hot if she let her hair fro out.

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    8. Afros are fucking sexy! They should have a calendar dedicated to the best 'fros. I'd totally buy it.

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    9. She bald, Stupits!

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  8. M.E. Has anyone approached you about turning all this into a sitcom???Some of your regular bloggers would make for a very interesting staple cast.Raven,Mini Me,Postmodern....(when he posts)the Dr, Grey is especially interesting,and of course Monica (in small doses),to name a few.

    You could be the 'Charlie'(of Charlie's Angels that is) and never reveal yourself.

    Meanwhile,you could take this to a whole new level creatively speaking,and bring awareness to all.

    Why should you care??Think of all the money you'll make,,and the power you'll yield.It could turn out to be another Sienfeld.Most of the writing is already done on your blog.It would be original,and I bet everyone would watch it.

    What do ye all think??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Socio's in the house"

      Be sure to have a fair share of hot ass invited. It might get boring in the house.

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    2. It is a great idea but each person would have to write his own script rather than one writer do it. It would have to be one of those real life things or it would lose it's flavor imo

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    3. I think it would be fascinating reality show just follow these people around, observe them, much more interesting than other reality shows.

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    4. It wouldn't have to be a sitcom. It could be a dark, Mametesque comment on social structures.

      Think Glengarry Glenross with more on the characters' personal lives. Still can be funny as hell. But dark comedy.

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    5. WHAT is a Mamet??

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    6. Episode 1. Extreme sleepover.

      Plot: a big dark room in a 5th floor.

      Cast: Raven,Mini Me,Postmodern the Dr,Grey, Monica and others.

      Story: Monica is crying in a corner, drinking booze, Raven is doing weird things to Mini Me. In the center of the room Grey and Postomder are talking to each other in sleeping bags. TheChosenOne walks around with a bottle and tries to enter the balcony, where Haven and Peebe are smoking. Door bell rings. BLuD-KLoT opens the door and invites Elicious, Zoe, Wet, Wheatley, Aps and others in. Medusa crawls from the toilet and tells everyone not to go there. Now when all actors are in the room, reality show begins...
      [Someone please continue the story]

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    7. are you sure TCO (in caps) wasn't actually carrying a bottle full of plant food for the massage grow op he started in the guest room ??

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    8. That Monica wasn't me but I don't know either.

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    9. I think you meant to type "massive" grow-op. Unless you meant I was massaging my massive member.

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    10. Anon I am intrigued by your plot but I don't smoke. Sorry. I'll just have to do something else.

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    11. Actually laughed out loud.. :) Well done.

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    12. The story continues...
      TCO gets bored of walking around, so he starts watering his grow-op, while massaging his big member. Raven looses interest in M.M. and walks away. Mini Me crawls to the corner where Monica is, asks for beer and decides to sit there atleast until the bleeding will stop. Monica notices that someone is near and starts talking about herself. Raven sees that Monica is talking with her play thing and frowns. BLuD-KLoT is checking rooms and finds mud bath in one of them... Then Medusa tries to open the balcony door and realises that the doors are jammed, leaving Peebe and ZOE outside. In addition the balcony above is hanging loosely and can fall on them any second. Suddenly an empath enters the guest room from the toilet, yells "I'll save them", climbs through the nearest window, jumps to the balcony. Unfortunately balcony is too far, so the poor creature splashes on the street. What will happen next, how will socios act, you decide! :)

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    13. Lol Good one

      Delete
  9. Themes for SW RegularsMay 7, 2012 at 6:49 AM

    That is so funny about Charlie on Charlies Angels because I pictured ME that way and was going to do that theme for him.

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  10. not all sociopaths have charisma idiots
    it says nowhere in da pcl-r that charisma is a sociopathic trait. charm and charisma arent the same.

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  11. politicians who are not sociopaths are not very good politicians..lol

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  12. I just had an epiphany..emotion can be draining a real limitation. If someone wanted they could train themselseves to stop reacting, to have less and less emotion...it's like an athlete. You are born with certain ability but you can also develop it. Politicians more than any other people must perfect the art of having no reaaction, emotion, they must be the perfect actors. In fact all people would benefit in adjusting their emotions...imagine that no matter what anyone says about you, to you, or does to you - you are in control. They are insignificant, nothing..then you have nothing to fear of anyone.

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  13. I, agree, with the 11:17 post but we need to take it a step
    further with politicians reactions to devastating issues
    with our country. When obama first took office and in those
    first two years people were loosing their jobs and homes.
    Where was he when this was occurring? In the back room perfecting his obamacare. He showed no urgency or compassion with solutions. He lacks empathy

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  14. I don't like to get political but I totally agree with 11:29. Obama is the image of a celebrity who is vacationing and playing golf. Of course he doesn't really care about the "people". Most politicians don't the sad thing is the ones who do probably aren't very succesful.

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  15. Monica and Raven have extreme mud wrestling. At the end of the episode, one is dead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And SW has one less whiny empath to swat around.

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    2. Be nice, Haven :)

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  16. Here is a page about this: http://www.panamalaw.org/getting_out_of_dodge_05-29-11.html

    If you look up the definition of politics its hard to imagine a non-psychopathic person being truly interested in being a politics.

    to engage in political intrigue, take advantage of a political situation or issue, resort to partisan politics, etc.; exploit a political system or political relationships.
    b.
    to deal with people in an opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way, as for job advancement.

    any activity concerned with the acquisition of power, gaining one's own ends, etc:


    It has a lot to do with gaining power/control and a neurotypical is general too focused on a variety of other things to have the desire to actually be involved in politics. Sure every wants to be president in theory, but most non-psychopathic people don't have it in them to actually get involved in it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. How a PD Feels To MeMay 7, 2012 at 12:12 PM

    A PD is a mask that is stuck on.You adapted and adapted to meet situations which were off the wall. One day, the mask stuck like a face you were told not to make or it would get frozen. One day, you are this other person who is set in stone. The stone is the PD.

    You see out of the stone glasses. You feel from the stone. There you be--fucking locked in stone

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ^Couldn't you replace "PD" with sociopath and have the same outcome?

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    2. How a PD Feels to MeMay 7, 2012 at 12:50 PM

      Nope I am not a sociopath. I am a co-dependent.

      Delete
    3. I apologize - I failed to read your post name

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    4. How a PD Feels to MeMay 7, 2012 at 1:15 PM

      That's cool. All PD's are a distortion of the self in the way that a fun house mirror distorts a person. You may look fat or skinny. You trunk may be really long and your legs short or vice-versa. You do not see yourself as you are. Hence, you live as if a set of lies are true. The lies are the PD.

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    5. ^You do not see yourself as you are. Hence, you live as if a set of lies are true.

      I believe that the majority of people live this way

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    6. Yes, I agree but still, one can aspire for more.

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    7. That's our goal. I am a co-dependent, also. My father was an alcoholic and yours?

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    8. Mother is a mal nac.

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  18. ^Yes, it takes a certain mentality to even want the position
    and in knowing that there is a certain elite group that is
    running the country; you are their puppet. Not, a place that normal people want.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm fresh out of jail, and posted a new entry.

    Just ignore the time stamps inthe comment section, you are not suppose to notice they are all me, padding the comment section ;)

    ReplyDelete
  20. This doesn't sound like Obama is a sociopath at all. It sounds like he's a man that wanted to enter politics and knew exactly what was necessary.

    Every single human being, except for the most naive and simple minded, are guarded to an extent. Everyone withholds things about themselves until they are comfortable with whom they are involved. When your long term ambitions are for politics, you must be constantly aware that your companion is going to be EVERYONE. How do you become comfortable with every single person when you know how dramatically different those people are from you? You become the Dali Lama and stay out of American Politics. Short of that, you reveal as much about yourself as you can, and do what every single other person on this planet does which is guard those things you wouldn't trust in the hands of millions of strangers.

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  21. obama wrote several books about himself and his ideals and
    has revealed himself in the past 3 years with decision making and with the use of his pen. And, yes, his own books will be used in the upcoming debates.

    ReplyDelete
  22. the perfect sociopath is the perfect politician..he/she has no boundries, moral code, limitations they are free they are good at spin, they will sell you the world. They will seduce, screw you and before you realize what they're about poof they are gone. The one weakness they may have is that they can't maintain the charade for long.

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    Replies
    1. I'm looking forward to seeing obama leaving the wh with his baggage in tow after being a one term President. He may flash that cheshire cat grin but......there are some of us smiling, also.

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    2. I think we see through him..he thinks he is smarter than everyone in fact he's not he's transparent... a narc

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    3. Anon 5:25 did not post the 5:37

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    4. ^I luv exposing sociopathic games

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  23. I just discovered the Merchandise section of Sociopath World.

    And there's a Kids & Baby section...

    I can die happy now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so pleased - I could steal a baby!

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    2. I am going to put a doggy sweatshirt on the bulldog saying socio and on the Boston terrier. one that says psycho. Those will be their names.

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    3. Y do you do that if you know it doesn't irk me?

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    4. I'm not sure what you are asking. I can say that I was not trying to irk you. Not everything I do has that motive.

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    5. Tell me why I should irk you.

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  24. Careful M.E.
    The government tracks the internet.
    Then again, you did say you meant it in the nicest way possible, that the President may actually be a Sociopath.

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  25. I've always known Obama was a predator of some sort. It just made me respect him more. I don't give a fuck about politics, but I find him very fascinating.

    It's all in the eyes.

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  26. I noticed you enjoy discovering other sociopaths, especially ones of relative notoriety, perhaps from some deep rooted sense of being different (minor insecurity), I think you are a bit too over enthusiastic about pointing them out. Not everyone that acts like a sociopath in certain situations is one. Some empaths have a great deal of control over themselves, and are careful about how they project themselves, that doesn't mean they are sociopaths. Either this or the term 'sociopath' needs to be redefined.

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  27. I noticed you seem to enjoy discovering other sociopaths, however I think you may be a bit too quick to judge. Empaths can behave just like sociopaths in certain circumstances, or can have sociopathic traits, that doesn't mean they are "S".

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  28. i must be drunk...

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  29. Obama is the Messiah. HOPE AND CHANGE!! I love Obama and Obama loves me! Obama loves us all! It is my firm belief that Obama is our Savior. Look at all he's done for the country! My God!! Folks just don't want to give him the credit. I think it's because he's black.

    ReplyDelete

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