With their charm and charisma, they take over business organizations. Then they enrich themselves, without regard to who gets hurt in the process. Finally, the organizations crash and burn, and they lie, blame others, and walk away with obscene buy-outs. Does it sound familiar?
Read Cohan: Did psychopaths take over Wall Street? on Bloomberg.com.
Link supplied by two Lovefraud readers.
darwinsmom
It’s a pure outrage. What makes me even more angry are the rating bureas. They rate countries for people to speculate on a country (in other words to speculate on a whole population in a country). And it has had political consequences.
Now, while I agree there ought to be some independent body to check the budgets, the spending, etc of a country FOR the people in that country… I totally disagree with the fact that people GET RICH over it. They dictate governments, democracies. But who are those guys making decisions at the rating bureaus? I sure did not vote for them, never even had a chance to.
We are not some pawns in a sophisticated gambling game!
skylar
If we are to learn anything from our encounters with spaths, it is the RED FLAGS that we should learn to spot through time and space.
Drama, is the first and formost red flag.
How wallstreet is different from a casino, is anybody’s guess. I can’t see any difference. I know that my spath was addicted to the drama in the casinos. He loved to watch a loser’s face crumble.
The solution is the same as it ever was: DO NOT PARTICIPATE. Do everything in your power to live your life in such a way that the spaths can’t use you to feed on. Let them feed on each other.
sharing the journey
Skylar
It is through your insistance in avoiding the spaths drama and not to provide emotional food for them–that it is really sinking in what my spath meant when he called me food.
After 22 years together I went into complete shock when he called me this–as foolish me thought we had a deep connection based on our life together.
I am an emotional person although I hide this and I come across as quite reserved. Only he and a few select others see the true me. This is because I have been burned in the past by I suspect some spaths–especially in his side of the family. And also my sister whom I suspect has HPD.
Grey rock makes sense to me–but it is hard when I believed that my emotional connection meant something to him.
Your posts as well as others are helping me greatly in connecting these brutal dots.
xxx
Ana
In response to the financial crisis the spath said: “I’m glad this is happening, now everyone will have to live like me” ugh.
Talk about a red flag. Basking in others misery of losing their homes, etc.
Live like her; lying, cheating, stealing. Going on public assistance even though she is able to work. That’s how she’s always lived. She chose to live like this and blames everyone else for it, of course.
MiLo
Littlewhitehorse ~
“Grey rock makes sense to me” – I need to tell you that I am living proof that “Professor Skylar’s” grey rock REALLY works.
I can not go the desired NC with my P/daughter because we are raising her 11 year old son and she has visitation rights. I am forced, by the courts, to have contact with her and must speak to her on a regular basis. I started the grey rock months ago. She was so confused by my reactions, or more like nonreactions to her “button pushing” that she kept asking me if I felt alright, was something wrong. LOL For the first time in years, everything is OK.
She has tried every trick in her little spath book to get me to join in on her drama and chaos. She has even resorted to changing things up from time to time, doing and saying things that she knows would enrage me. I simply “tune her out” and comment on everything with stupid, no-brainer type comments like, “that’s nice dear”, “some days are good, some aren’t”, “maybe some day down the road”, “works for me”, “never can tell”, “how about this weather” BORING – BORING – BORING
Like Sky says, they soon get bored. It is hard to fight or argue with a rock. Let go of any emotional connection that you thought you had with him. It is hard, but take all emotions out of the picture, disconnect those buttons, so when he pushes them, they don’t work any longer.
Good Luck
sharing the journey
Milo
10 years ago I went NC with my sister and also grey rock without knowing about these terms before. I did it instinctually.
This was because I had reached the end with her last physical attack on me.
Like your daughter she tried everything to engage me from pity to rage. Smearing me. I went NC with my whole family because it seemed like I was stuck in a revolving door. Her attacking–me defending and the old adage ‘it takes two’.
But in doing this–I played right into my ex H Spath’s plans. I willingly isolated myself and I did not know I was doing it.
When he attacked me I fled to my mum. Thankfully she helped me and supported me. We both say that the best thing that came out of it was that we renewed our relationship.
I keep my sister at a distance-time has shown that I was not the culprit as she moved onto other victims. She still tries to suck me in with her ‘I’m the little sister-and you should care for me act.. There is only a year between us and she is 49.
I just think ‘Grow up’.
With him–it’s a different story==same ending. I wa strong=-=but he weakened me terribly with the sudden abuse. I wasn’t prepared for it. I thought he was my best friend.
But by reading and reading this forum and writing myself sometimes I gain clarity and hope someday full understanding. PTSD interferes.
Thanks for listening.
xxx
MiLo
Littlewhitehorse ~
I can only imagine what you lived through, someone you loved and thought was your best friend, turning on you with that kind of abuse. I am so sorry. I’m glad that reading and writing on this forum helps you gain your clarity and hopefully heals your soul.
I am glad you were able to reconnect with your Mum. As for your sister, it seems like you have that one under a distance control. Good for you.
Somehow, we must all lean on each other and move slowly forward.
Hugs & thoughts
sharing the journey
Thanks Milo
Much appreciated. Feeling a bit sorry for myself after writing above and your kind reply.
xxx
anitasee
Never have I seen more mention of P’s than in the alternative financial news of late. Movies like “The Corporation” and movements like OWS have also raised awareness of the presence and power of P’s in our midst.
Too bad that those of us on LF, having been personally victimized, are collectively victimized again by the “successful” P’s who corrupt the economic and political world around us. And too bad for all the millions of victims globally that cannot see or know their abuser.
But there does seem to be a rapidly accelerating process of awakening going on that we are all harmed by these creatures at every level of society. Perhaps by outing the abusers we are taking the first steps to learning how to protect against their violating behavior at the macro level.
Peace,
Ox Drover
I am actually surprised that someone in “high places” has recognized what I have seen all along as far as “Wall Street” was concerned….the crooked business practices and crooked political practices have “FOREVER’ been with us since the Pharisees plotted to shut up Jesus by having him crucified, and Pilate “washed his hands” of the business so he couldn’t get the blame from the public.
Psychopaths have been “in control” of politics, commerce and the military since the first cave man threw a rock at the second cave man, or stole his piece of meat when he wasn’t looking.
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN! Just the same old shiat, different day! One psychopath takes advantage of another person. Tricks him in a deal, cons him, or sells him a wind-broken horse!
I wish that article would actually CHANGE THINGS but I don’t think it will….I think crooked bankers and crooked politicians and control freaks will continue to rule the world. Wish I had more confidence in education about psychopaths changing the world, but I think I’m a cynic. Or is that realist? Or just maybe a cranky old lady!