In a recent thread on a mailing list the term [[wp:sociopath]] was tossed around. It started, as always, when someone with a fairly narrow view of the concept of consent got their (in this case panties) in a twist about the reality that not everything in life happens after explicit consent.

I can’t post the whole letter here as I do not have permission to convey their words… but mine are below and I have tried to paraphrase theirs. This is only an excerpt, not the entire post.

posted by Soulhuntre to  StrictlyDs on Tue 8/31/2004 3:22 AM

Heya 🙂

> -_-_-Original Message-_-_-
> From: CENSORED
> Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 9:00 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: Dominance taken vs. submission given / was RE:
> [StrictlyDs] Gor
>

[ a comment that the word “sociopath” was understood in it’s specific, clinical definition ]

Ok, then I can only assume your using it intentionally in a context where it’s application is at best tangential. Of course the “bordering on” thing gives you a fair amount of leeway – but not as much as you are taking I think.

[ comments that manipulation of others is a core part of sociopathic behavior and that my comments “bordered” on it, but were not “clinically diagnosable”. ]

Well thank god. It would be a real bummer if I could be diagnosed by something so trivial 🙂

But hey, lets look at some of the traits of a sociopath and see how I stack up – nah, lets do it in another post.

[ snip of some meaningless discussion of the word “seperate” ]

And no one is arguing that. What is causing issues are basically three things:

• Your characterization of all manipulation as deceitful
• Your broad willingness to consider others borderline sociopathic
• Your belief that manipulation doesn’t happen constantly around you and to you

[ some authoritarian hand waving here. She has a Ph.d in psychology apparently and seems to think that makes her comments above discussion. I will leave you with one exact quotation ]

“Unless you can present your clinical credentials, don’t argue the point with me.”

I’ll argue whatever I damn well please thank you. You’re welcome to participate in the discussion or not – that’s your choice. But I’ll be damned if I am going to be told to be quiet 🙂

No offense, but your credentials mean exactly nothing to me. We’ve had this go around before. I don’t know you from adam (or eve) so your claim to have them isn’t holding much water with me.

Further, I fail to do the whole “kiss ass of authority” thing. lets assume you got a Phd. I know lots of people who have them and don’t know much more about the topic than other intelligent people. Your education should help you provide citations or information for others if you chose.

The whole “don’t argue with me, I know what I am talking about because I say so” thing isn’t going to hold much water with me, nor I suspect with many others. Especially when your assertions are usually … well… shall we say “bordering on” wrong 🙂

By the way, your in luck, I found a reference for them that separates APD and Sociopathy, though it wasn’t nearly the common definition set.

“Sociopathy is chiefly characterized by something wrong with the person’s conscience. They either don’t have one, it’s full of holes like Swiss cheese, or they are somehow able to completely neutralize or negate any sense of conscience or future time perspective. Sociopaths only care about fulfilling their own needs and desires – selfishness and egocentricity to the extreme. Everything and everybody else is mentally twisted around in their minds as objects to be used in fulfilling their own needs and desires” – quote in context

I am not at all sure why manipulating someone else counts as “bordering” on this in anything but the most casual sense of the term. However since your point is not that you thought it WAS sociopathic, just that it struck you as being in the realm I am sure that’s just fine.