The Decline of Truth

If there is a defining characteristic of the transition from the Era of Narcissism to the Age of Psychopathy, it is in how we as a society have come to define and interpret truth.

In the Age of Psychopathy, it isn’t only what is and isn’t objective truth that comes into question. Even our sense of what is or isn’t truth has become subject to debate. Typical narcissism with its sometimes over-the-top grandiose individualism has been supplanted by a malignant sociopathy that manipulates and exploits in the name of some ideal or “greater good.”

Reality, facts and truths are deliberately and regularly ignored or obfuscated simply because they get in the way of an agenda.

Whether it is to secure power, anchor political ideologies or to establish a position in a given hierarchy, truth is undermined and tsunamis of destructive events are unleashed, all in the name of supposedly ‘selfless’ interest.

As we have noted, a psychopath is someone with with a deficient conscience, someone for whom guilt is irrelevant and used as a manipulative tool. Far too often today, truth is now being defined by psychopaths.

Let’s look at how psychopathic ideologues use the truth.

Recent ‘research’ reports on the ‘differences’ between ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ brains.

Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work….

There is a reason this nonsense appeared in the LA Times and not in a single peer reviewed scientific journal: One cannot assign values and meaning at will. For example, one can easily define ‘tolerate ambiguity and conflict’ as ‘wishy washy,’ indecisive and fearful. One can also define less tolerant of ambiguity as loyal, decisive and committed.

Dr Sanity rightly dispenses with the pretense of professional courtesy, and will not grant that honor to a poseur:

I am full willing to believe that there are biological differences in information processing between liberals and conservatives, but I suspect that it has more to do with choosing to give precedence to emotions and wishes far more than those emotions and wishes deserve. The left, to put it bluntly, don’t merely tolerate ambiguity, they worship it– and even deliberately seek it out even in situations where it doesn’t exist! Just listen to those 9/11 Troofers who will not be dissuaded from their conspiracy theories by any rational argument. In a way, ambiguity means never having to face reality.

Narcissists, psychopaths, and paranoids are “tolerant of ambiguity” in pretty much the same way.

Another characteristic of the Age of Psychopathy is that only a select few are held responsible for the consequences to their actions. This is not a byproduct of sociopathy, but rather, it is a foundation upon which sociopathy rests. Psychopaths go to great lengths not feel or endure guilt or shame; nor do they care about the negative consequences of their behaviors. Guilt, shame and facing consequences cause us to reflect and consider our lives, a time consuming and meditative process. For a psychopath, guilt or shame concerning his behavior might make him have to admit the ‘other’ actually exists outside of his own needs and desires.

There were those who professed to love art, music and children with great passion and at the same time were able to turn a blind eye to slavery, the mass murder of millions in the name of Nazism and Communism. Now, as history repeats itself, there are those who would send millions to their deaths in name of a vengeful God and there are the psychopaths who enable and support them.

The Age of Psychopathy places guilt and accountability second in importance to the exercise and acquisition of power. You cannot exercise or acquire power if you feel guilty about how you go about exercising or acquiring that power.

All of us have a deep well of resources to choose from when dealing with guilt. We can magnify guilt or minimize guilt and shame, but in the end, we must deal with both. The psychopath wants to eliminate guilt and shame altogether and therein lies the origin of the rage and hate so prevalent on the left.

Rage and guilt are intimately connected. Rage and hate can bury guilt. It is true that there are times where guilt can overwhelm rage but that is very rare. In the Age of Psychopathy, the first victims of rage are always the feelings of guilt or shame. The process isn’t as hard as one might imagine. Who would want to be shackled and hobbled by guilt? This was a lesson easily learned by the Nazis, later by dysfunctional Arab regimes and now by the leftists of the ‘Bush-Hitler’ variety. Rage and hate carry a spectacular and breathtaking satisfaction. The totality of the rage/hate experience is all enveloping. The psycho-sexual dynamics of rage/hate are hard to miss.

This kind of hate/rage without guilt or impediment is what drives the psychopath.

Imagine an alcoholic or drug abuser coming home after a hard binge. He sees his wife and children and feels guilt and shame, as he should. Notwithstanding the pain and hurt he has caused, the addiction to alcohol or drugs and the feelings of euphoria that alcohol or drugs induce, if left untreated, will draw him back to abuse and the cycle will repeat itself.

His family, the support system that he has come to rely on, will at some point confront him and demand he seek help, he flies into a rage and blames them for his problems, for ‘driving’ him to substance abuse. He wants those who are most affected by his behavior to feel what he refuses to acknowledge- guilt.

It is an objective truth that it is not enough for the alcoholic to understand his condition. At some point, the substance abuser must deal with the reality of the havoc they have caused internally and externally. They need to understand the pain, trauma and devastation that lies at their feet. If they do not engage in that painful exercise, they will not be liberated from the chains of addiction that bind them.

The same applies to the leftist psychopaths that are attempting to redefine American values and realities. At some point, they must deal with the damage their distortion of truth and reality they have inflicted on their neighbors, the nation and the world around us.Their deliberate deceit has given comfort to enemies and has encouraged those enemies to redouble their efforts. The leftists’ deceit embraces falsehoods and failed ideologies, bigotry and hate.

No one is asking that differences of opinion or dissent be stifled. In fact, healthy and honest debate has been the engine that has driven this nation to greatness- and that has been lost on those who would replace honest debate and differences with nihilism of the psychopaths who openly declare their intent to do us harm.

Sigmund, Carl and Alfred is the pseudonym adopted by a blogger in North Carolina. He is so busy, he needed three identities. He is a political behavioral analyst, specializing in predicting the behavior of ‘really crazy people.’