Thursday, July 26, 2012

Roadkill -- accident or murder?

This Gizmodo article describes a recent experiment in which test subjects drove automobiles.  The experimenter placed small rubber animals (turtle, snake, and spider) on the side of the road.  Six percent of drivers went out of their way to run over the animal.

To the experimenters, this seemed sadistically cruel -- particularly in the case of the turtle and the snake.  (Presumably it is understandable that some people would want to run over a tarantula, and when you factored out the people running over the tarantula, the numbers went down to 2.8%.)  From the article:


It is still quite a surprisingly high number. At least compared to a 2008 study using the Psychopathy Checklist, which discovered that 1.2 percent of the US population were potential psychopaths. 1.2 vs 2.8 is a huge difference.

Now, I'm not going to pull a PETA—I actually hate PETA—and say that the six (or 2.8) percent are all potential psychopaths, but clearly these people have some kind of mental problem. At the very least, their empathy circuits must be pretty broken. Personally, I wouldn't like to be friends with any of them.

And I really don't care which kind of animal they ran over because all of them were locatedoutside of the lane and posed absolutely no danger to the drivers. Needless to say, if a turtle or a snake is on the middle of your lane, never risk your life to save it. Your safety must come first, but this was not the case. This was all the contrary. And it's quite disgusting.

Is it really a surprising number?  And does it make any sense to suggest that all animal killers are sociopaths and all sociopaths are animal killers?  Maybe some of them are just really bad drivers.  I probably wouldn't go out of my way to kill the animal.  In fact most of the time I go out of my way to avoid the animal.  Why?  I don't know, getting blood and guts all over the automobile, the possibility of losing control by swerving to hit it, or any other reason.  I'm curious why they didn't do follow up interviews with the people asking them why they did or did not run them over.  Some of them might lie and said that they didn't realize they did, but I bet you would get honest answers from at least some of the people.


66 comments:

  1. First! Eat your heart out Kany!

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  3. @Kany

    Because I didn't want to, of course. :P I invited all of my friends and had the most fun two weeks since last year (when I did the same thing).

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    1. Do you see any strength within you?

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    2. What's that supposed to mean? O.o

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    3. Do you see yourself as a strong person?

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    4. Why wouldn't I? And why do you ask?

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    5. When discussing emotions you may be holding onto and finding ways to deal with said emotions in a way that doesn’t hurt yourself, you stated:

      “Maybe. But cutting is easy. And who cares if I hurt myself?”

      “Who cares if I hurt myself” is a ploy to find validation that you are good enough to care for. If you were strong you wouldn’t need this validation. If you were strong you would not look for the “easy” release. I’m not saying your weak. I asked if you saw yourself as a strong person so that you might see some clarity in your statement. Don’t know if this will help you. I was curious as to how you saw yourself after the statement mentioned above.

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    6. It wasn't a ploy. I know people care. I just wish they didn't. That way I could wear something with short sleeves without people being worried. But they do, so I can't, and it's hot as balls outside.

      And at the moment, I'm still alive. Suicide is the easy way out. So I wouldn't say I'm weak.

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    7. Are you sure people care? Don't you think it's an act?

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    8. Wheatley
      Do you hate your father for bullying your mother and your mother for being weak?

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    9. I love your mom monica

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    10. Wheatley
      You have tremendous anger to something. That is what is at the root of this.

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    11. I love my mom, too. I forgive her. Thank you SW. xx

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    12. I am not saying your cutting is a ploy. Your statement asking the world who cares if you hurt yourself is the ploy. It may have been rhetorical on your part, but it’s still a cry for validation within yourself. “Who cares if I hurt myself? Anyone out there? Does anyone care?” That’s the ploy. And are you sure people care? I’m not saying they don’t. Are YOU sure they do?

      Your weakness shows itself when you take the easy route and cut yourself to release. You said it was easy to go the suicide route and because you haven’t you’re strong, why is suicide weak?

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    13. Cutting is an attention move you're trying to play to get people to fret over you in a superficial way. Your anorexic friend knows, right? And it does sound like you're looking for something to feel. You'll get over it soon. You're just 17. Just try not to leave scars.

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    14. Of course I'm not sure. I haven't tried. But I'm not going to risk it.

      Suicide is not an easy decision to make, but it is the ultimate way of avoiding your problems. That's why it's weak.

      It's not about attention. If it were I'd draw attention to it. (anonymous blogs don't count)

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    15. Bestrong and try something new. Take a risk.

      Our society teaches us that suicide is weak. I'm not so sure. Can you think of a more personal decision?

      It is about attention. Please, don't lie to yourself. Accept it at then move on. Is there no other way to bring the spot light on you?

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    17. I am thinking that any "attention getting" devices such as cutting is from a loss of personal power. One's power has morphed into a monster, with a life of it's own. Then, you are the tail and not the head.
      I think that many of the PD's could be honed down to a loss of power or a "super enhancement of power. Either way is unbalanced.

      Codependency is a loss of power to another person/people
      Narc is a loss of power to one's image
      BPD is a loss of power because the self got so diffuse
      ASPD may be an uber strengthening of personal power such as when a muscle is exercised to the point of very buff. However, in doing so, may have sacrificed things like empathy.

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  4. I would be afraid that there might be a bomb hidden in an animal (possibly fake animal). Or a bone might damage a tire. It's a good practice to avoid any obsticles on a road as driving over anything can lead to losing control over a car. And, according to internet memes style, lost control is lost.

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  5. >>Why? I don't know, getting blood and guts all over the automobile, the possibility of losing control by swerving to hit it, or any other reason

    I ran over a fox once. Aimed to to hit it. In the moment it was a thrill. At the time I wanted to do it so I did. The possibilities you stated never even crossed my mind.

    True story.

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  6. sociopaths are emotionally and mentally retarded even like aspies and autistic persons
    when you see a young sociopath he kind of looks retarded, has weird facial expressions and shit

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  7. I have a habit of locking up the brakes to let turtles cross the road. Occasionally there may be a minor 4 car smash up behind me because of it, and i can't help but think that they all deserve it for tailgating and playing with their fucking mobile phone when supposed to be watching the road.

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  8. The Narcissist and How To Navigate Your Relationship with Him

    The Narc has a edifice of carefully built up layers, as bricks cemented on a building. This edifice can only be brought down with great attention to it and a great deal of pain.

    Most Narcs will not do this. However, sometimes great tragedy will force a Narc to unravel this edifice, when it is suffocating the person, and he must. Short of this, I don't think it will happen. Usually, it will not happen with even this, as the edifice is so tightly constructed.

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    1. If one has to have a relationship with a Narc, as many do, there are things which will make the navigation easier.

      One
      The person cannot see you beyond how you make him feel and look. Your inner landscape is of no interest to him, other than an annoyance. He may appear to put up with it. However, his eyes will glaze over, as you muse about inner workings of yourself.

      Two
      This is very important and usually learned by screwing up. You must hold power over him. He must know that you can put him in his place, in some way that will hurt.
      You must bring the stick out, at times, to remind him.

      Three
      He hates your flaws. He wants you to be perfect. He will take your flaws and beat you over the head with them, if/when he can. Refer to Number 2 for how to deal with this.

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  9. An amusing topic of the day, although I have to say, it's a pretty broken study, far too many parameters can be broken and there aren't enough control factors.

    On another note, I have no idea how "How to heal a PD"'s post is related to this article at all, completely out of the blue much?

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  10. Manipulator,

    Agreed. Who or what is Heal addressing this to?

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  11. Replies
    1. I still don't quite understand.... you give an unrelated post, to address the forum in general.... for what cause? and why not just use the forums? Oh wait, people often get torn to pieces in there, nm ^^

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  12. @Kany
    You said you came here to test out parts of your personality. Which parts are they? What is your default state--introverted, shy, afraid of self expression?

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  13. As I stayed here, I learned to forgive my mother. My mother is forgiven. I am free now, as I am talking to you SW, right now. Thank you. xx

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  14. Ukan you were there for me, and I am thanking you, as I am talking to you, right now. My mother is forgiven. xx

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  15. Take this---All you fake Monicas. I have a Google Account

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    1. That would be a smart move. You're definitely a fake Monica.

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  16. Back to the subject. When I first began driving I used to love coming across a possum playing possum lying in the middle of a dark back road. I wouldn't hit the poor creature. If it were in fact already dead what would be the fun. Instead I would drive over the animal and beep the horn. Sometimes, when the little varmint was faking, I would get the satisfaction of hearing the thud under the car as it jumped up with fright from the sound the car's horn. Frogs are fun to squish too.

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  17. Fake FAKE Monica at 10:27 *roll eyes*

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  18. Has anyone else had the vision of blowing Monica's face off with a mossberg?

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  19. Speaking of roadkill; Kany,

    The beauty of your words sounding so much like UKan's is such that I find myself in complete agreement. Such as:

    "Cutting is an attention move you're trying to play to get people to fret over you in a superficial way. Your anorexic friend knows, right? And it does sound like you're looking for something to feel. You'll get over it soon. You're just 17. Just try not to leave scars."

    But, then we have this:

    "I'm sure. And I've told you what your opinion means to me. I have nothingto refute. Isn't that just the beauty of this place."

    Now I have the advantage anyways. Your presumptions about me make it a fun sort of joke when you try to be offensive."

    So what I gather from this is you do not refute being UKan's mini-me? And again I mean no insult. If there is a stinging sensation perhaps you should dig deeper and find what upsets you about being an object (like a house or a car) in the world of a true psychopath. I'm glad we can joke about this. Let's go further, what presumptions have I made? I think we no longer have to presume you to be little more than an additional dose of UKan when he's not around. By all means don't stop. I like your gritty truths. Just becuase you have been molded to think this way means nothing.

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    1. I see we're trying a new technique. Again... make your assumptions. I don't know what it can do but spark and argument. One of these times I'll spill my guts. Why not try a new name, like Monica. Or raven. I open up to raven.

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  20. Everyone one on this...this...yo what up

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  21. Everyone on Kany or roadkill?

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  22. On Topic
    This is a stupid experiment to say the least. It actually tests for nothing what so ever, never mind empathy or the percentage of populous that are sociopaths.
    "The experimenter placed small rubber animals..." - So people that drove over these pieces of RUBBER have no empathy and therefor must be psychopaths. Right. Yeah, 'cause that's in the PCL.

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  23. You know, I read this article that said if you smile all the time, you can trick your brain into thinking that you're happy.

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    1. what if you got a pokerface, can you trick your brain into thinking you dont have feelings?

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    2. What if your mother grew a cock, would she then be your dad?

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  24. Do sociopaths think it is weak to need people?

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    1. yes, next question?

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    2. What All Sociopaths ThinkJuly 26, 2012 at 8:01 PM

      Yes they do, as all sociopaths think the same way about everything. They think the same thoughts at the same time, no matter what part of the world they live in, or what language they speak. They can also message each other through a special kind of telekinetic power, called sociokinesis.

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    3. My socio was kind and wouldn't think anyone was weak.

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    4. Your socio told me that he wanted to pull your entrails out through your asshole. I'm really sorry to have to be the one to tell you. Sociokinesis is a gift and a curse. :(

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    5. What All Sociopaths ThinkJuly 26, 2012 at 8:42 PM

      I said that^^^^^^ :)

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  25. I ran over a dying squirrel that was on a road to put it out it's misery. Maybe some of the people thought the "animals" were dying and had sympathy for them...

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    1. Experiment Suggests 6% Of Motorists Are Courageous Animal Lovers

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  26. Thought: perhaps the higher number can be attributed to mood instability rather than sociopathy? After all, as has been discussed pretty thoroughly already on the commentary, it seems unlikely that an "average" or "high-functioning" sociopath would bother with running over the animal- there are the risks of losing control of the vehicle, the fact of blood on the car, and other such bothersome consequences, to be considered. Someone who doesn't care about those consequences and runs the animal over anyways? That sounds like someone lashing out because of personal pain- something that most normal, non-sociopathic people do all the time, to varying degrees. When we hurt, we displace that hurt by hurting others. But an animal isn't an other, and if no one's around to see you do it, there isn't the same backlash that occurs when we take our stress, anger, anxiety, or pain out on other individuals. It's pretty much getting away with punching the world in the face for wronging you. Just a thought.

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  27. I find it normal, most people don't like snakes. Empaths don't empathize with beings that they fear of or dislike. I remember having a pet spider when I was 8 years old, I tried to feed her with an ant(soldier ant, bad election) and the ant started tearing her legs apart, I asked for help, but no one took me seriously, they told me to shut up and they took the bottle away from me, when I got it back it was too late, the only thing I could do was killing the ant in revenge. Of course I thought they were monsters, but we just had different points of view. They just saw the spider the same way I saw the fucking ant, and the same way you see most of people I guess.

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  28. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to kill the animal. In fact most of the time I go out of my way to avoid the animal and thats true..

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  29. This is bad to all; some rash driving is the reason for accident speeding ticket lawyer

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  30. That way I could wear something with short sleeves without people being worried. lawyer for speeding tickets

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  31. This is painful incident and very sad news for all.speeding ticket points

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