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.
ps eralyn, TOWANDA for you testifying, I know it is scary, but it is worth it.
I am at the other end of this spectrum. I do speak up, but really, nobody wants to believe what I have to say despite things being black-and-white and indisputable.
Specifically, a number of years ago, my son’s non-custodial P father filed to have his child support obligations of $65/week reduced (not that they were overburdening him to begin with) claiming that he was sick and the current amount was such hardship on his health. This was mid-October.
About 10 days later, there was an article in his area’s newspaper about the 17-room mansion he lives in, how it is filled with antiques, the cute little puppy dog that he owns, the three-car garage, an account of the maid handing him the phone, and the Halloween display that he puts on which is so spectacular that the police close down the street because they estimate 20,000 people come by to see it. There was also a few paragraphs about how wonderful he is because he collects money that he donates to children and how he spent over $500 on candy alone.
When we went to court in November, he told the hearing officer not to pay any attention to the article, “it wasn’t important.”
The judge did deny his request to have his obligation reduced, but he didn’t increase it any either.
My guess is that people like the glitzy and showy. As long as they are getting something out of it, why should they be concerned about the ugly back story?
I don’t think people get that if somebody can do something like this to another person, what it demonstrates is what this person is capable of doing. The thinking is there and the person will act on those thoughts. Period. It’s totally illogical to argue, “But they’re not really like that.” Yes, they are. They did it. Repeatedly. And if they can do it to a child, that makes is even more heinous.
People don’t get that once somebody has pushed the boundaries and knows that he or she can get away with something, they also now know that their tactics will succeed and that they can get away with it, again. It’s like finding the goose that lays the golden egg.
Why not go for more? What was once a risk has become the norm. I think it’s like a drug addiction. There is always a carrot dangling in their minds that must be better than what they’ve obtained to date.
People like to think that they can spot the bad guys. People like to think that these things will never happen to them or to somebody that they care about or hold close.
As long as people can take deep breaths and believe that they escaped a bullet this time then something like that will never happen to them again.
Yeah, right.
But Daddy Dearest may finally get his.
Last year, he went to court and certified how disabled he is and incapable of working. He actually said that the child support enforcement efforts were harrassment.
This year, he’s running for mayor and has on his party’s website his photo and glowing statement about all the businesses that he owns and the committees he is on. When I went back to see if there was any more news on the Internet about his mayoral candidacy, it came up that he had applied for a council seat, and later won it, which “bookended” the support hearing.
I did report him and he is being investigated, but the child support enforcement people just sent me a letter saying “if he lied last year…”
This isn’t even a “he said/she said.” These are newspaper accounts and public town notices, but it is still all an “if”.
I really feel like the “he said/she said” is a BS excuse. Kind of like blaiming the economy for the adolescent suicide and child abuse/murder going up.
He said/she said gives the judges the continued excuse of making poor decisions and having no accountability. My case was all evidence based and should’ve been stopped out of the gate with some sense. Of course that wouldn’t have pumped the tens of thousands of if not more money into that system…..
What I’d really like to know is what brought this all to the light of day. What made his minions turn against him despite being as guilty as he was?
That wasn’t mentioned in the article and I think it’s the most pertinent information for our purposes. We need to know how to turn the tables on the spath.
Skylar, even rats will jump from a sinking or burning ship.
The minions probably are thinking that they can dodge scrutiny if they can make Armstrong the “leader.” Think about it – it’s like a group of juveniles that rob a liquor store for kicks. “Well, HE came up with the idea and “made” us do it….”
Skylar you ask a good question and I don’t know the answer. I can hazard a guess – and that is that a spath has evil at his core. No conscience, no remorse. I think a “normal” person does, and eventually sees the spath for who he is, and turn away from the evil and go towards the light. So maybe the minions aren’t minions but are more like you and me. Temporarily unaware, but eventually coming to awareness….recognizing the spath and moving towards the light.
Oxy, thank you for posting this article. You grabbed the line that I saw too. A few months back, there was a video posted on youtube that an expert analyzed – it was of an interview with Lance Armstrong. The expert pointed to many “tells” in what Lance said and did during the interview, including a smirk, which he dubbed “dupers delight”. I saw that and believed Lance was guilty.
This is what spaths do. They present one vision as a reality, when they are actually 180 degrees the opposition. The 180 rule.
My spath dressed supremely well, gave out lunches to the homeless, went to synagogue every week, and had the most impeccable manners you could ever imagine. However, he lied, cheated, stole like you can’t imagine.
Sandusky, Armstrong – the “good works” are simply a distractions to the lies.
Athena
Athena:
Mine didn’t have good works at all. He would NEVER even think of giving out lunches to the homeless…HA!…that’s a joke 🙂 He was extremely selfish and told me in a “tell” when I asked him if he had pets and he said, “I’m too selfish for pets.” Hell…that wasn’t even a “tell”…he told me outright!
Athena,
When we went to court last year, I insisted that the lawyer put in my certification that Daddy Dearest utilizes smoke and mirror tactics.
She wanted to call it “playing games,” and I said no, it’s smoke and mirrors.
He’s manipulating the landscape so people won’t catch what he’s really doing. It’s all a facade.
So yes, they’re distractions from the truth.
Gis, louise,
For as long as I have been in spath recovery and been on this site…4 years now? It amazes me how long this recovery takes. Its mind blowing.
Louise yours must have projected some sort of good, no? Good that you assumed was pervasive but was not? Either that or he was evil as all hell and you just didn’t recognize it?
Athena