I question the process. Get enough of somebody’s words, and you can make them fit most any psychological profile you like.
I was thinking that someone analyzing my posts might conclude that: I’m a megalomaniac, hate my family, love my family, bigoted, liberated, obsessive compulsive, paranoid, psychotic, manic-depressive, or whatever, and be able to provide quotes and citations.
I think the process is flawed. It’s difficult enough for a qualified expert top psychoanalyze someone when they have them there first hand. Through the proxy of a message board, it seems to an exercise in futility.
I agree that it would be irresponsible for a professional psychiatrist to diagnose a mental illness over the message board. Similarly, it would be irresponsible for an MD to diagnose stomach cancer based on vague stomach complaints posted to a message board.
But us “hacks” have freer reign than that. If you yourself seriously post and make the argument that you’re king of the world, then there’s nothing stopping me from calling you a megalomaniac, posting a link to a site on the subject, and attempting to demonstrate how aspects of your argument demonstrate signs of clinical megalomania. Same thing with posts about stomach complaints—I can try to argue that you should check into possible stomach cancer and provide you with information on the subject. I may come off looking like a fool in the process if it turns out that I was totally wrong, but I’ve certainly seen other people providing “hack” medical advice around the SDMB.
In JET’s case, he seriously made the argument that he was delighted by tragedies that happen to strangers, because his own life is miserable and other people should be just as miserable too. That’s a strange argument to make in a public forum. I mean, we all feel a little of the “misery-loves-company syndrome” at times, but we generally recognize reasonable bounds for such ideas. To argue the point as forcefully as JET did seems over the line to me. So I hunted down a psychological profile that might in fact describe this type of thinking and offered it up for public consumption.
If a professional psychologist were to post right now and tell me that JET’s posts don’t fit the profile for PAPD thinking, I would be grateful for the correction and ask what other psychological profiles such thinking might fall under. In other words, I’m open to debate.
But to say that I can’t even post such ideas in the first place…? If you really and seriously post a message with the argument that you’re king of the world, is it really off limits for me, as a self-acknowledged hack with all the necessary disclaimers, to suggest that your argument might have signs of megalomania in it?
Besides…even you must wonder why trolls do what they do, right?
You know, I would have to say that some of you are the most finicky people I have ever read. You complain that someone is intentionally pushing your buttons, and when he responds back to them or someone defends him, it does not click that your buttons had just been pushed again. Go figure.
So tell me this, why does he offend you? Is it something he says? Something he does? The way he types? If it is offensive to you, is it offensive to the person next to you? Is it more so than less? Is anything you say offensive to others, but you do not think so? Is anything you said offensive to JET? My point is that anything can be offensive to anyone if they do not agree to it. So what honestly makes your point any more important than someone else’s? Is there something in your profile that says that you are “special” and that all should listen to you or be attacked? Why do you need to attack him at all? Is he harming you in some way? Do you fear that what he says is going to infect you, or that it will cause you bodily harm? If in some way this does, you might want to consider having the mental evaluation.
So what is honestly going on here? A number of you are attacking a person for who you do not agree with or for who offends you with what he says. So he attacked you earlier in some other thread or offended you. I have seen nothing so far to indicate that he has tried to have all of you banned. But here a number of you are trying to do this to him. Since a number of you are banning together to have him banned or removed, what is honestly keeping him from doing the same to you? I certainly did not see any “Specials” under anyone’s profile, so what gives you the right to remain and for him to go? I am pretty sure that posters for this forum feel the same thing about you and think that you should go. But what makes you not worthy to stay then?
Come on people, lighten up. The only harm this man is ever going to do to you is hurt your pride, challenging your morals (if you have any), or evem hurting your eyes from having to read so much crap. So take it easy, calm the lynch mob, douse the torches, put up the rope, and remember 4 simple things: 1. You are no better than anyone else 2. He is no better than anyone else 3. I am no better than anyone else and 4. This same instance of everyone attacking someone and attempting to get them banned could just as easily happen to you.
Oh, and if you really do think that you are better than others, then you have a great future in politics ahead of you.
Lie! I’m sure you’re mom told you this was true, but she also told you about the tooth fairy, you know. I really am better than some other people, and not as good as others.
Same goes for him.
Deja Vu!
This is also not true. I can’t imagine a Scenario where everybody gangs up to get Spiritus Mundi, or Kabbes banned. They don’t engage in behavior that lends itself to thatr possibility.
I acknowledge that you’re arguing a sound principle: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. But that goes for much of what gets posted on the SDMB. Not every question gets answered by a registered expert in the field under discussion…
In the meantime, I’ve run into so many of these particular types in real life–the obstructionist, passive-aggressive types who start trouble and then turn around and claim that they are being victimized by the response. One day I found some descriptions of this psychological profile and was delighted to read up on this particular kind of mentality so that I could finally have some insight into why some people might operate this way.
Now, along comes JET’s posts, and I can’t help tieing the two together and posting on the subject. Like I said, I’ve wondered what motivates some of these trolls.
If I’m wrong, so be it. If not, then the PAPD material represents an interesting bit of insight. Meantime, I do accept the basic principle that you’re enunciating: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. That’s why I put all those disclaimers in my post.
Spiritus, I think perhaps you missed my point. And decided to shove a whole basketful of words in my mouth. Thanks for that, bud. I would have expected better from you–ususally you don’t leap quite so precipitously to conclusions.
And yes, Scylla, it’s the same old andros, saying the same fucking thing I’ve always said. To wit: If he’s that much a waste of flesh, don’t post to his goddamn threads. Don’t bother to get worked up by him. He’s getting what he wants–attention. Fuck, like that’s difficult?
Christ on a shitcannon, you think I agree with him? You think I find his wannabe act impressive or deep or meaningful? Please. I shit more meaningful philosophies. But I don’t bother to feed his ego, either.
Now, people jumping my shit because I wasn’t explicit enough in my posts, them I’ll address. :rolleyes:
(And now I’m adding another notch to the thread post count. Can’t fucking win.)
Suppose I’m walking down the street and some clown carelessly runs into me and knocks me down and keeps going. I’m not hurt seriously but I could have been, and I’m pissed. I turn and holler, “Fuck you, you felchwad!” Unnoticed by me in my rage are you, JET, just stepping out of a nearby doorway and into vitriol that seems to be directed at you for no reason at all. You’d probably think, at the least, that I’m a “rude, immature asshole.”
That’s pretty much what happened when you used a thread title like the one you did, especially in a different forum from the original “offense.”
I would have apologized, but bobo [sub](I wonder what happened to him?)[/sub] has changed my perspective on life.
By misconstruing the “meaning” in your post, I have helped you learn something about yourself. That’s a happy for me. Plus, I helped with emotional knowldge-stuff, 'cuz you reacted emotionally. that’s much better than thougt knowledge-stuff 'cuz it’s, like, heavy and stuff. You can tell this is true 'cuz emotions, like, rule!!! Yeah! Two happys for me.
Don’t let your bruised thoughts get in the way of thanking me for teaching you about how it feels to be offended. Otherwise those words I crammed down your throat will be wasted calories, like circus peanuts. They might make you retch, but vomit is like transient and smelly vapor when weighed against big heavy emotional stuff.
I wasn’t trying to help you in your acquisition of emotional mass, but I did it anyway. Three happys for me. You should be grateful and cough up the sexual favors immediately. If you do, it would demonstrate great emotional density (More weighty than your average intellectual density![sup]TM[/sup]).
Don’t let your sensitive buttons keep you from stretching your boundaries. Espcially those really sensitiev buttons. If I push those over and over and over will you go from a big softy to a thick, hard emotional andros? Will your boundaries stretch? Will you be grateful?
Wait.
That’s a steaming crock of shit.
Sorry, andros. I misunderstood which “meaning” you meant to mean. My bad.
