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We're talking about the pop-culture myth of psychopaths and sociopaths and other stuff like serial killers. Yes those conditions do exist, well sort of (not exactly with those names), but the pop-culture versions we know from the media are mostly myths. The real things aren't as exciting or flashy as the versions we know and love/hate from movies, comic, books, TV shows and podcasts.
In fact even though people with antisocial conditions we know as psychopathy and sociopathy are over-represented in prisons they still only make up a small part of population there and there are many many more who live free among us and never even think of killing people or committing crimes. Ironically when they DO commit offenses they are not smart about it or devious the way the pop-culture versions are ALWAYS shown because that's not part of the condition. If a deviously, evilly, cleverly planned murder is committed then it's very unlikely to be a psychopath.
We all tend to have the idea that a psychopath is some cold, calculating, very intelligent, evil person. a predatory wolf who observes and preys upon the passive sheep that are the res of humanity… This is pure fantasy and invention. The reality is that psychopaths tend to be less intelligent than most people because the condition they have directly stunts their social interaction and learning ability. They also don't plan out evil schemes because the condition is characterised by a lack of control, impulsivity and an inability to delay gratification. These people are not the evil mastermind super-villains popculture makes them look like, instead they are mentally ill, damaged, and not fully formed. The only thing pop-culture sometimes gets right is the lack of empathy.
Anyway, Tantz is the expert, hear her talk about it on the cast!
What are your fave or least fave things about psychopaths? One of my least favourite shows in Psycho-pass. It's a cyberpunk anime about a police force that uses psychopaths to hunt down criminals because of their “unique” abilities, as well as an all-seeing administrator who controls everything and who has to be a psychopath. They're of course assisted by AI. This is a moronic anime that gets everything wrong about the future and is a total disservice to the entire cyberpunk genre. While Ghost in the Shell is quiet genius, this is simply a fart.
This week Gunwallace has given us the theme to Comfur-Chan - A bouncing, warm piano lead, rock road-trip. Burning down a hot highway, streaking past the scenery at a fair clip. This tune knows where it wants to go and it wants to get there fast!
Topics and shownotes
Links
DSM entry on “psychopaths” - https://www.psi.uba.ar/academica/carrerasdegrado/psicologia/sitios_catedras/practicas_profesionales/820_clinica_tr_personalidad_psicosis/material/dsm.pdf
Featured comic:
Oni x Fox - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2023/jul/11/featured-comic-oni-x-fox/
Featured music:
Comfur-Chan - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Comfur_Chan/ - by Ksteak, rated E.
Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - http://www.virtuallycomics.com
Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean
Kawaiidaigakusei - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/kawaiidaigakusei
Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/
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Next week AI cast
Quackcast 644 - Psychocast
Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, July 18, 2023
Comfur-Chan,
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Gunwallace,
kawaiidaigakusei,
Oni x Fox,
Ozoneocean,
Psychocast,
Quackcast 644,
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7 likes!
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Ozoneocean at 8:13PM, July 19, 2023
@Jason- I wouldn't feel comfortable saying that about either of them. I think they're both arseholes with massively over-inflated egos but I don't know if they really lack empathy... I think they lack empathy for people they consider bellow themselves but that's just because they're very self centred and narcissistic. I think otherwise they're not too unusual. Maybe Musk is on the spectrum?
Jason Moon at 7:55AM, July 19, 2023
Without a doubt Trump is a psychopath and Musk is a sociopath
Jason Moon at 7:50AM, July 19, 2023
Growing up my family loved watching forensic files and my mother has always wanted to become a forensic analyst that works in a lab. But because of her interest in the field I saw WAY TOO MANY forensic files episodes. (They actually just came out with a Forensic Files 2 that focuses more on catching killers with modern technology than anatomy forensics.) But watching the show for over 20 years I found they really do label specific killers as psychopaths: Chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. The definition online is actually not all that accurate in really explaining the mind of a psychopath. As we have studied minds of serial killers they discovered that a psychopaths part of the brain that conveys empathy is not there. That part of the brain never developed! So they are mentally challenged with a part of the brain not functioning. Jeffrey Dahmer and many other scary serial killers had their brains studied after their deaths, all had the same thing going on
Ozoneocean at 8:51PM, July 18, 2023
@ksteak - Glad you like it! It's one of my faves ^_^
Ozoneocean at 8:51PM, July 18, 2023
@The Jagged. Yes, there is a similarity but as an autistic person I think it's more that you're slow to pick up the cues that let you know what others are feeling, but the psychopaths and sociopaths are just fully unable to sympathise or empathise. They just don't feel it.
Ozoneocean at 8:48PM, July 18, 2023
@Marcorossi - Ah, Fritz Lang, great film maker, that looks interesting
Ozoneocean at 8:47PM, July 18, 2023
@Bravo- what I meant was that those early protrayels would be more realistic because the modern versions are based ON them and other pop-culture versions so they're more removed from the reality than the early version you mention since those weren't based on popculture myths but rather had a hand in creating them :)
ksteak at 12:09PM, July 18, 2023
thanks for the music and shoutout! very swish, great work!
TheJagged at 8:11AM, July 18, 2023
Pop culture getting mental conditions wrong? Well, as a qualified autistic all i can is: Durrrrrr. Anyway, portrayed correctly or not, fictional sociopaths are an immensely fascinating topic to me. I feature empathy lacking characters quite frequently in my own writing. Just a fascinating perspective to think about, how someone without empathy would act. I feel a mild kinship to that, as i tend to have a more emotionally removed stance on things than most other people seem to have. (Possibly actually due to my autism.)
marcorossi at 6:58AM, July 18, 2023
Favourite movie serial killer: perhaps M from the 1931 movie ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_(1931_film) ). Also, thumbs up for Ghost in the Shell!
bravo1102 at 3:48AM, July 18, 2023
Ozoneocean: pop culture portrayals derived from the Jimmy Cagney movie among a few other gangster movies of the 1930s-50s depicting psychopathic killers. Paul Muni's Scarface was a big influence along with Edward G. Robinson's Little Caesar. There are a couple of good books on gangster movies and film noir crime movies.
Ozoneocean at 3:43AM, July 18, 2023
@Commissar_Tarkin - I remember that! I agree with you that it was a rather flashy thing and didn't actually count real psychopaths... more of an exercise in confirmation bias.
Commissar_Tarkin at 3:31AM, July 18, 2023
They are thought to be over-represented among CEOs and other high-ranking positions, although those studies counted people with "clinically significant psychopathic traits", not actual diagnoses. I bet it's probably callousness and extreme egotism rather than, say, poor impulse control.
Ozoneocean at 2:23AM, July 18, 2023
@Bravo - Jimmy Cagney probably portrayed a more realistic psychopath than the modern versions because those are more derivative of pop-culture versions xD
Ozoneocean at 2:22AM, July 18, 2023
Thankyou Tantz ^_^
Tantz_Aerine at 12:13AM, July 18, 2023
That illustration is amazing Oz, one of your best!
bravo1102 at 12:13AM, July 18, 2023
Most depictions of psychopaths are stuck in the 1950s or even 1930s. It's like someone watches White Heat with Jimmy Cagney rather than reading a psychology textbook.