Daniel Greenfield has written an article that puts into words what has been troublesome for a long time. His piece is entitled “Government of Sociopaths.”
A few quotes are offered:
We did not suddenly go to sleep and then wake up the next day with a political class that acted this way. Or with CEO’s that act this way. The erosion of long term thinking is progressive. It begins slowly before becoming pervasive.
Very intelligent people show no grasp of responsibility and no understanding of consequences. ‘Stupid’ behavior by intelligent people is often a symptom of that. Sociopaths, who often have very high IQ’s, yet a poor understanding of consequences, are at the farthest limit of that category.
What does a country run by sociopaths look like? It looks a lot like our own actually. Lots of short term fixes. Lots of ‘keep this thing running’ pragmatism. Short attention spans. No sense of responsibility. And no thought for the future.
Let’s take a brief look at some of the behaviors and attributes used to identify a sociopath.
- Are they cavalier about the truth, and capable of telling lies to your face?
- Have they no apparent sense of remorse, shame or guilt?
- Is their charm superficial, and capable of being switched on to suit immediate ends?
- Do they enjoy taking risks, and acting on reckless impulse?
- Are they quick to blame others for their mistakes?
- Do they have no qualms about sponging off others?
- Are they sexually promiscuous?
- Would you regard them as essentially irresponsible?
This is a progression of detachment. It is what happens when a culture begins to come apart. And it’s all around us. It is why we lack leadership so badly. An imploding culture adamantly hates and opposes the virtues of leadership. When it sees them, it tries to destroy them. True leadership derives from understanding people and relying on them to respond to the implicit code by which the leader acts. The leadership of a government of sociopaths on the other hand is impulsive, it prides itself on juggling rules to avoid being caught by them. It thinks that principles and those who hold them are dangerous. And it views long term thinking as an obstacle in the way of its bright and beautiful plans.
