# Terrence Howard: The Gene Ray of Hollywood? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 15, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392 "2015-09-15T19:02:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392/21 "2015-09-17T12:17:49Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > IANAP myself, but it seems to me that sociopaths aren’t irrational - if anything, they’re \*too \*rational, in that they don’t let emotions get in the way of their own self-interest. In a way, sociopathy is the \*opposite \*of insanity. Let’s put aside the fact that a lot of sociopaths end up in prisons or mental asylums because of the acts they commit. But we’ll write that off as the fact that some people aren’t good at seeing what their long-term self-interests are. So let’s consider instead an intelligent sociopath who lacks empathy but doesn’t commit murder because he recognizes the consequences he’d face for doing so. If he commits crimes, he does it in a way that is undetected. Is he better off than a non-sociopath? I’d say no. It’s true that he’s unburdened by guilt because of his lack of emotional connection with other people. But he’s also missing all of the positive effects normal people experience from those emotional connections. A person who has no emotions might function at perfect efficiency. But emotions are the things which give us reasons to live. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392/22 "2015-09-17T13:10:50Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > You have to wonder if the man was ever taught the definitions of the basic arithmetic operations, although obviously his problems go beyond simple ignorance. I am wholly confident he was taught basic arithmetic operations. Mr. Howard’s problem is not that he wasn’t taught basic arithmetic. His problem is that he is insane. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392/23 "2015-09-17T13:15:35Z")
Put me down for “he’s psychotic” too. Gene Ray, hell - the man needs help before he becomes the next Randy Quaid. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392/24 "2015-09-17T13:34:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Let’s put aside the fact that a lot of sociopaths end up in prisons or mental asylums because of the acts they commit. But we’ll write that off as the fact that some people aren’t good at seeing what their long-term self-interests are. > > So let’s consider instead an intelligent sociopath who lacks empathy but doesn’t commit murder because he recognizes the consequences he’d face for doing so. If he commits crimes, he does it in a way that is undetected. Is he better off than a non-sociopath? > > I’d say no. It’s true that he’s unburdened by guilt because of his lack of emotional connection with other people. But he’s also missing all of the positive effects normal people experience from those emotional connections. > > A person who has no emotions might function at perfect efficiency. But emotions are the things which give us reasons to live. I agree with you completely. My point is that sociopathy is the opposite of insanity in the same sense that something too _simple_ is the opposite of something too _complex_; or how having too \*little \*of something is the opposite of having too \*much \*of it. They’re both wrong, but in different ways. We’re all slightly insane in very healthy ways. “Sanity” isn’t one end of the scale - it’s the middle. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392/25 "2015-09-17T14:02:29Z")
Let’s just put aside the arguments over whether Howard is a psychotic or a schizophrenic or a sociopath and focus on the fact that we can all agree he’s nuts. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392/26 "2015-09-17T14:30:50Z")
I had no idea that he has a history of abuse towards women. He sounds mentally ill, that’s for sure. Is he still working? I wonder how his fellows actors view him. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392/27 "2015-09-18T00:19:08Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I had no idea that he has a history of abuse towards women. He sounds mentally ill, that’s for sure. > > Is he still working? I wonder how his fellows actors view him. He is in an extremely popular series called Empire. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrence-howard-the-gene-ray-of-hollywood/731392.md?page=1)