David Sirota: Don't allow inmates to run the asylum

[highplainsdem]

http://www.alamogordonews.com/alamogordo-opinion/ci_19065616

Like most people living through this jarring age of economic turbulence and political dysfunction, you can probably recall a moment in the last few months when you thought to yourself that our lawmakers and corporate leaders are all crazy.

-snip-

The good news for you is that you aren't insane for thinking this. The bad news for all of us, though, is that according to two new scientific analyses, you are more correct in your assessment than you may know.

The first revelation came from Dr. Nassir Ghaemi of Tufts University. In his recent book, "A First-Rate Madness," he went beyond merely restating the adage that anyone crazy enough to run for public office probably shouldn't occupy that office. Instead, the book sheds light on what Ghaemi calls an "inverse law of sanity," whereby tumultuous times like these actually reward and promote political figures who are "mentally abnormal (or) even ill."

Now comes a new study from Switzerland's University of St. Gallen showing that the most successful of the global financial elite probably pose more of a menace to society than known psychopaths.

-snip-

That study of a group of stockbrokers compared to a group of psychopaths showed that the stockbrokers were not only "significantly more reckless, competitive and manipulative" than the psychopaths, but also less interested in overall success than in a sadistic drive "to damage their opponents."

[tblue]

1. Oh jeez. This is a living nightmare.

They are cold and heartless, and those are symptoms of socio/psychopathy. They're sick. And they have all the money and they run everything. Now is that an effed up & terrifying scenario or what?

[99th_Monkey]

2. Thank you Mr. Sirota for a brilliant read, about this current kettle of fish we're in. NT

[barbtries]

3. sigh.

we are so screwed. i recognized that the US was sick, really sick, a few years ago. but what to do about it? so many people don't see it the same way. the proverbial frogs in the pot.

[Major Hogwash]

4. Sirota would know all about psychopaths. Guess who has his own radio program, column, and op-eds?

Too easy.

[Kaleko]

5. A nation run by vindictive sadists

with the most obscenely bloated military budget on earth
gets to rule the entire world.

We're living the American dream.