By Joyce Alexander, RNP (retired)
I recently read this article in the New York Times about Lance Armstrong. Armstrong is a world famous cyclist and well known “do-gooder” with his “Live Strong” website, which purports to tell others how to “Live Well and Live Strong.” Armstrong is a survivor of cancer. Testicular cancer is a “young man’s” disease and one that I sought to teach my college-aged patients about when I worked as a director of student health. I also have a close friend who is now a middle-aged man who is also a survivor of testicular cancer. It is a horrible disease.
Details of doping scheme paint Armstrong as leader
It has been rumored for years that Armstrong was “doping—”using stored blood for reinfusion before races and/or taking drugs. Only now is the vast amount of evidence coming out about just how prevalent this was for not only Armstrong, but for his teammates as well.
One of the things that stuck out in the article to me was the following quote:
But the evidence put forth by the antidoping agency drew a picture of Armstrong as an infamous cheat, a defiant liar and a bully who pushed others to cheat with him so he could succeed, or be vanquished.
I can’t say from what I know about Armstrong’s vigorous narcissistic self-promotion as a “philanthropist” and a “do-gooder,” or from the above quote, that Armstong is a psychopath. But I can say that if the above quote accurately describes him as a cheat, a defiant liar and a bully, that Armstrong is displaying some of the traits that we know are found in a psychopath’s behavior.
People who lie, cheat and bully are not the kind of people that we want in our lives. It is unfortunate when people who hold themselves up as role models for others, and for our young people, actually lie, cheat and bully those around them. Yet they are seen as “successful role models” for our young people.
Jerry Sandusky
Jerry Sandusky also held himself up as a role model and philanthropist, as well as a person of high morality. He was still a defiant liar as he was sentenced this week after being convicted of sexual abuse of multiple young children.
Sandusky gets 30 to 60 years for sexual abuse
“His statement today was a masterpiece in banal self-delusion, completely untethered from reality and without any acceptance of responsibility,” said Joseph E. McGettigan III, the lead prosecutor. “It was entirely self-focused, as if he, him, were the victim. It was, in short, ridiculous.”
Judge Cleland deemed Mr. Sandusky’s statement “unbelievable.”
Of course Armstrong’s “crimes” were not probably as damaging to our youth as Sandusky’s were to his victims. The point is that people who are high in disordered traits lie in the face of evidence against them. Dr. Robert Hare says psychopaths will “lie when the truth would fit better.” The lie when the evidence of their behavior is unequivocal.
Covering up
I could go on and name hundreds of media heroes who have been brought down from the heights of fame and fortune by having their bad acts and their highly psychopathic behavior exposed. The shame I think, though, is that there are way too many people who are in the limelight whose behavior is known among those close to them, just like Armstrong’s and Sandusky’s behaviors were known. Yet those people kept silent about it.
Why are people who know about such horrific behavior as the rape of young boys (such as Paterno knew) willing to sacrifice honor (at the very least) to protect a football program, or a racing team, or a priest who is abusing children? I wish I knew the answer to that, but I don’t.
What I do know, though, is that there are too many times that I have kept my mouth shut ”¦ kept the family secrets, or even lied to cover them up. So I, too, am guilty of covering up for those that have done evil. But I have made the decision to never again do so.
OxD, thanks for this article. It’s poignant for me, right now, because of an event that I described in a previous thread. One person is covering up a violent attack outside of a college facility and another person has heard about this through student gossip. The second person knows that approaching the director of the facility will result with the director saying (as she has on MANY occasions), “Yeah, but don’t say anything about it, okay?” Well, the second person cannot do that on a legal or moral basis – there is a Law that requires federally funded colleges and universities to report incidents of violence, and the director is expecting many people to keep the whole matter quiet – and, they HAVE. The only people who are “talking” about this incident are students. Staff and faculty are not discussing this attack, and (IMHO) people don’t usually tend to avoid discussing something tragic or violent that occurs to someone that they actually KNOW.
It’s all about more fence-sitting, and enabling. These postures only allow bad things to continue happening.
Thanks, again, for this absoutely timely article.
Brightest blessings
OxD,
I am very sad to know Lance Armstrong is not what he was portraying. It’s unsettling to find out what we believed is not true and then I ask myself is the whole picture a lie?
I was surprised to hear the attitudes of attorneys and their staff in family law, expecting all of us to have skeletons in our closets. Some of the biggest trouble in the courts is the belief that you may just be a facade and so many are so you must be too. This very attitude is why good people are not believed and guilty until proven innocent is seeming to be the rule instead of the exception even in court. By the time you have proven you were the real deal, there is so much damage done to your life and all who are involved, the recovery becomes the question.
Each time decades go by with the fence riders keeping the dirty little secrets of those who are doing the exact wrong things from the image they portray, integrity of all becomes in question. It takes too long for the truth to get out and there are too many powerful fence riders or enablers. Look at Madoff. That scandal went all the way to the top congressional people and the SEC the very regulatory board who was to protect us. I commend those who fight to get the word out on these crooks and liars who have pulled this public facade off but are nothing but frauds. The job of exposure of these people is not for the weak. The whistleblowers are strong and determined and I admire them.
A lady yesterday, won her lawsuit against Nevada family court for being a whistleblower who refused to go along with the criminal acts of court facilitators which were harming children and she spoke out. She proved she was retaliated against for not “going along” and she won! This case has been going on for a while and I am very hopeful it sends a message to these people when a jury of peers gets together on this stuff they agree the behavior should not and will not be tollerated and we really want people to do the right thing. That’s a win for the good guys and helps remind me good still can prevail. The psychologist who had his licensed revoked due to the regulatory board doing their job and a thorough investigation proved my credibility and the assistant state attorney used my very words in the 9 page document against him stating what I showed as fact in my complaint was in fact true. I believe this played a part in my family court case taking a turn and stopping the insanity. Another one for the good guys….
Dear Eralyn, sugar I am so glad that you got some “justice” because sometimes none of us get any justice…so I am really pleased as punch wen ANYONE gets some justice in the family court system. I haven’t succeeded there, ever, but I’m glad to hear about the few who do.
It is sad that Armstrong is a fake, and John Edwards, and Sandusky and lots of others but people make their own choices. When WE believe their hype and get fooled, then we feel badly….because it is a shame that ANY person is that kind of person…a liar, a cheat and a bully and a FAKER.
At least these few have been exposed for what they really are and are not going on fooling us more, or damaging more children.
Wow! Classic. an army of enablers plus ensnaring others to commit crimes so he wouldn’t be the only one. It ensures they keep their mouth shut. His MO is so much like my exspath, except he focused it mostly on bicycling. I wonder what other evil things he has done?
The need to cheat to win, is a red flag of spaths.
In a moment of projection my spath once said to me, “You’re so competitive.” I threw that comment in my WTF? bucket.
Skylar, it sickens me about Armstrong’s apparent scope of control and coercion. Even his wife knew and excused him for various “reasons.”
What is so apalling is that SO many people knew and were involved and the vociferous defenses of what a GREAT guy and BRAVE guy and WONDERFUL philanthropist he was generated 100% doubt in people who would have given two shits except for the media coverage and sports celebrity aspects.
Armstrong is not a “great guy.” He is not “brave.” And, he’s not a wonderful fundraiser. What he clearly is would be a very, very selfish and manipulative sociopath. Just because he survived cancer doesn’t make him noble or a saint. He’s just someone who uses every situation and event as a personal supply. He does not have a conscience because I have yet to hear about any sincere apology that his actions and choices have destroyed the trust of millions of people. He’s a worm of the lowest order.
I may have mentioned this, before, but the exspath has a brother-in-law who is an extremely toxic and abusive person – undeniably a very bad person. But, he developed cancer in his his jaw and underwent surgery and it was removed. He recovered in very good order. So, the point of this is that any “normal” person would likely view their personal recovery from a brush with cancer as an opportunity to “make things right.” They would probably do some serious soul-searching and appreciate the “second chance” as a Divine Opportunity to better their lives. A sociopath that survives a dreaded disease or condition doesn’t view that survival as an opportunity to make things right. They see their survival as the time when they “Beat The Grim Reaper” and snap their proverbial fingers in the faces of mankind and God, Almighty (or, Great Creator, or whomever). “See that? How about THAT! I BEAT YOU!”
What dopes………no pun intended, I swear.
Brightest blessings
SO…..just out of curiosity, how did Armstrong generate such “loyal” accomplices? Did he use fear and intimidation? I heard a news report that claimed that his team members were afraid of him so that’s why they not only enabled his doping, but engaged in it, themselves.
I know this may sound rhetorical, but why would anyone in any competitive sport risk their awards and their reputations by engaging in group-doping and enabling? Seriously, do NONE of these people have integrity?
Just as there are STUPID and OBVIOUS LOSERS who are psychopaths, there are those who are SMART and SUCCESSFUL in whatever they do–sports, music, business, Politics, religion….think Armstrong, O.J., Paterno,(I list him because though he may not have DONE the bad deed, he COVERED it up) Sandusky, Maddof, Blago, John Edwards, and the LIST GOES ON AND ON AND ON…read today’s paper, there will be more and more examples on a local, state wide, national and international level….the list is endless and will always be endless.
If you read history or the Bible or any literature that shows what HUMAN NATURE is, you will find that there are endless lists of people who have set themselves up as “successful” who are in fact, the “successes” they are because they climbed to where they were by WALKING over the BACKS of others who they used and abused or conned into participating in their abuses.
Look at Hitler….only a small proportion of the German people were Nazis or were monsters, but those that were evil participated and those that were spineless or afraid kept their mouths shut at the very least. Only a few people like Carrie ten Boom and others like her were willing to put themselves on the line to STAN D UP for what was RIGHT and GOOD….Many of those people paid for their courage with their lives.
Sure cancer is no respecter of persons, both good people and bad people get cancer and survive (or die) and Armstrong used his survival to present himself as a “hero” and he presented his “success” (which he did not legitimately earn) in a sport as making him a “hero” I am glad to see however, that his HOUSE OF CARDS came tumbling down to FALL on his head and I hope that he is prosecuted and sent to prison for what he has done.
What I HATE TO SEE however, is that now the GOOD that Armstrong did is TAINTED and SLIMED (thank you for that word in this contest Sky!) by association with HIM.
Penn State foot ball and the school will FOREVER be slimed by what happened there with Sandusky and by the fact that the “sainted” Joe Paterno KNEW AND DID NOTHING.
Truthspeak,
I believe he became powerful in his public persona much like the Penn State behavior. They are well connected and know some powerful influencial people. I imagine they can tell who would go along over those who might have too much integrity to continue their facade. They are such great readers of people.
I really feel like even though I have been a hard working active person in the family court debacle in my state, I am one of the last people who could get on any governing board or get a job opportunity as I am known to shout about what is not right. I wouldn’t be the best choice for an Armstrong type. While I really have a passion in this area and would love to make a difference I have accepted that unless I am called on to make change, I will not be considered for employment in these areas. So for now I work for FREE!! Opening my big mouth and shining a light where and when I can to help children in our system.
I really believe these toxic people know who to bring in and who to keep out. Unfortunately it feels all too often the bad guys have many minions who are willing to do their dirty work…….
It was very eye opening how many people knew the old reunification therapist who abused my daughter and her reputation to harm children. I found lawsuits and complaints and they said they were just waiting for someone like me to take her down! ? I found even the child “helpers” and “non-profits” feared a light shined on them so they kept their mouths shut about horrible things when I was shocked they weren’t working to stop these people.
OxD,
You are so right. I am glad to see them be exposed as sad as it makes me. There have got to be people who are cheering who knew and weren’t heard or knew and paid a price for attempting to show. I am always glad for the validation or justice which does finally get done.
Imagine all the honest trainees who lost to Lance Armstrong and he was once again awarded for bad behavior. So it’s worth a cheer! They don’t make whistleblowing an easy task.
Speaking of that, there is angel in my case who continues to post about the revocation of the psychologists license regarding my child custody case on “psychecrime” and “psychereporter” websites. It was posted in May and again in September by someone putting a brief shout out of his license being revoked and why. It makes me smile that someone wants this bad guy exposed too….I endured a 2 and a half year investigation by the state with this guy attempting to discredit me, publicly humiliate me and working his butt off to show a lack of whatever they could find to stop me from pursuing this. The father called and threatened me on Valentines day last year that I would be publicly humiliated (sorry I am immuned to this thanks to him and would be paying the psychologists attorney fees if I showed up to his hearing 2/25). I was scared and I was tired but I showed and I testiified. This was all going on with the family court case. UGH! My garbage cans were stolen, all my phones were doing strange things. It was not good. The more I found out about the phony psychologist the more I felt right sticking with it. Hopefully phony pastor/former psychologist isn’t getting his tax exemption any longer for his church since the IRS requires you ARE ordained for those 15 years of write offs. I am pretty sure there were faith based federal funds used against me for the fathers use from the prison reentry system as the prison clergy was even involved in my case…..
Eralyn,
You mention the prison clergy….please e mail me privately off the blog, you can find my e mail under “love Fraud authors”—I’ve got something going on with my son and a prison clergy that I would like to discuss with you. I am currrently fighting his upcoming parole hearing and he (my son) is highly involved with a prison ministry group that works hard at getting inmates out. I am hoping you might have some information that might help me in this as I don’t know anyone else that is not involved with this ministry that I can talk to about it. Thanks.