Editor’s note: Be sure to read both articles that Ox Drover links to.
By Ox Drover
I ran across two articles in NY Times that sort of got me to thinking about how it sometimes does pay off to act like a psychopath—in business or other ways.
The following (quite long) article tells how an Internet seller terrorized his customer. I think that many people who have been the victims of psychopathic-like stalking can relate to this woman’s story. The fact that it was over such a relatively small amount of money is amazing to me, though. The lengths to which this stalker pursued his victim are also amazing to me.
Read A bully finds a pulpit on the web on NewYorkTimes.com.
This follow up article tells how, eventually, through the persistence of the victim in pursuing justice for the bullying psychopathic-like stalking she got from the abuser, it turned out that the man didn’t get away with his campaign, and now local, state and federal authorities are getting on the band wagon to go after this guy.
Read U.S. arrests online seller who scared customers on NewYorkTimes.com.
The guy even got denied bail. Yea for that judge “getting it.” It will be interesting to me to see how this plays out and just how much real jail/prison time this guy actually gets. While I can’t diagnose someone out of the newspaper, I really do feel that this man fits the criteria for many of the traits of a psychopath and he definitely is a stalker.
quest
Hi folks , I could not join in the conversation after my last post as my computer crashed . Apparently a power surge and the surge bar did not work . Fried the whole system . Anyway I am back up and running with a new faster Gateway. Wish my own fried mind could have been that quick to become brand new .
Anyway Skylar , about the knowing the trick . I think knowing something and realising it are slightly different things . You described O like umbrella to him and then played the trick on him . When you described it to him he knew it but did not realise it until you played the trick on him . Now he has experienced the effect internally . Hopefully his subconscious took a mental note and he will not miss it next time
skylar
QUEST,
Hi, I hope you post here more often. I like analyzing the spath-works.
My BF is very smart, highest SAT scores in his state 30 years ago. he’s a geek.
We discuss sociopathy every day. You would really like his ability to understand the spath. So when I told him about O for Umbrella, he was intrigued and we were talking about it. He is familiar with the British Hypnotist Darren Brown, who has Youtube videos with him making people think that Red is Black. You may not know this, but he does: I’m obsessed with understanding the sociopath and gaining protection from it.
As we were talking I jokingly picked up the book and said, “this is Red”. He just couldn’t speak. At all.
I saw what was happening and said, “just kidding, hello, I’m pretending.”
He understood and came out of the “spell”.
I think that knowing about something is not enough, if the spath has brokered a trust with you. If you expect the truth, a lie will still knock you out.
I hate to be cynical but the spath will always be the one you trust the most. We cannot see them. We have to be completely open to logic and the RED FLAGS. That is what I’m studying right now.
Ox Drover
Dear Quest,
That sucks canal water about your computer! Glad to have you back!
Don’t worry about your “fried mind” it is in good company! Mine comes and goes like the lights in a thunder storm! CRS! Can’t remember stuff! LOL
Welcome back!
ErinBrock
Quest:
I absolutley can’t tell you what an impact your post of the “o for Umbrella’ has made on me.
That was brilliant!!!!!
I shared it again today…….people get it when you use that example for them!
Thanks agaion for sharing that!!
quest
skylar I know it is possible to see psychopaths , sometimes instantly depending on the situation . The smarter ones can be harder to catch . A friend of my mothers who I have know all my life , 55, turned out to be one . When I was a kid I actually admired this woman . She is now 78 years old . My mother lives in another country . A couple of years ago after I had split from my xp I went to see my mother . We were invited over for lunch . At the time I had really not percieved her as being a psychopath although it had crossed my mind . I could not remember anything from when I was a kid that would make me think that she was . Over the years after I was about 18 I only saw her when I went to visit my mother and did not get a lot of exposure to her . Anyway when we showed up for lunch it only took about half an hour and the alarm bells were ringing loud and clear . Not only that but the memories came flooding back from my childhood , little tid bits of information that would have exposed her long ago if I had known what I was looking at . Later on I told my mother what I thought . What she described flawed me . I had always thought that this woman was one of my mothers best friends , As it turned out my mother told me she would not trust her as far as she could throw her . Given that my mother did not know what a psychopath was , what she told me about this woman was basically a description of a psychopath .
quest
Erinbrock I’m glad you liked it ………..not sure what I am going to do for an encore
ErinBrock
Quest, you got some time……i’m gonna be using this one for awhile!!! 🙂
I look forward to the upcoming encore! 🙂
one/joy_step_at_a_time
CHICA – if you are out there – have tired to call many times.
Alwayshope
Thanks for posting these articles! I read one of the “side” articles on the NY Times and have to admit my “inner spath” took a perverse pleasure in this towns solution to their town bully- likely spath-http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/us/16bully.html?hp
Of course I would never advocate murder, or vigilante justice as a solution, but it certainly sounds like the town as a whole, had become absolutely desperate when the justice system there couldn’t contain the terror in their midst.
quest
Hi all and katydid . I was reading your post from a while back and it reminded me of all sorts of stuff . The alzhiemer thing is interesting . MY X had an incredible memory , but not so incredible that she could remember all the lies she told and to who . I had only to catch her on a few things to figure there was something wrong . Contradiction was also something she did a lot . One day I accused her of contradicting herself and she said ,” I am a condradiction , you will just have to figure it out . Besides I’m wired differently “. Hullo what the hell did that mean .
After reading a lot of books I began thinking to myself , there must be a school out there somewhere that they all go to because they all seem to pull the same old tricks . The alzhiemer one is interesting because she would often accuse me of having it . We would be talking about something and she would say something like , thats not what you said last week , last week you said whatever abcdefgh etc now you are saying stuvwxyz etc . Well I couldn’t remember saying abcdefgh etc . Then she would remind me with a conversation we actually had had word for word and then I had supposedly said these other things at this time which i did not remember saying . Believe me, I thought I had alzhiemers or else was going nuts . I finally figured it out, she was literally rewriting history , but why . What was the point . Brain scramble designed to turn me into a zombie it seemed like . At some point something else did dawn on me . If they can shut down the thinking brain of someone can they also shut down other brain functions that we are for the most part not aware of like the immune system for example . This may be pushing the limits of reality but funny thing was that after I had split with her, for the next year on a saturday and sunday I would sleep until noon . On week days I had to force myself to get out of bed to go to work . It was as if was getting no sleep . Often I would wake at 4 in the morning with tormented memories and glimpses of understanding . It was as if my subconscious never slept and every time it figured something out it would wake me up . After many months of this I wondered if it was ever going to end . Every time I thought I was getting somewhere as far as mental healing was concerned it seemed like the hand of the devil was there to pull me back . For months I was in a state of hyper vigilance as I knew other psycpaths could see me and I could see them . It was like being in a movie . I knew my mental defences were down but I could not figure out what had put them down or how to ressurrect them . psychopaths seemed to be drawn to me where ever I went . I jokingly, but not joking, told a friend while having a beer at the local bar that I was a psychopath magnet. At first he thought I was joking . He soon realised it was true as the weeks went by when total strangers would try to engage me in conversation . mostly it was women . It was as if they could see something in me that took their fancy . Now you may think this sounds crazy but I had never been hit on by so many women in my life , scary ones I might add . No , I do not think all women are psychopaths . Funnily enough that has more or less stopped now . The scary ones do not seem to look at me like I’m pray anymore . its as if they know instinctively that I know what they are and that I cannot be manipulated anymore . I’m still trying to find a normal woman to be with . Its a mine field out there . At my age 55 it seems like most of the single ones of similar age are single for a reason and usually not a good reason . Well I guess I’m rambling now .