Dec. 13 The Psychopath Test: I cut out this Edmonton
Journal book review called “Exploring the mind of a psychopath a crazy, yet
fun, ride” by Robert J. Wiersema on Jul.
31, 2011. He reviews The
Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson Riverhead.
Here’s the whole article:
Those behaviours fit neatly in the criteria devised by Canadian psychologist Robert Hare in the test he devised for detecting psychopathology ("Item 8: Callous/Lack of Empathy," "Item 6: Lack of Remorse of Guilt"), a document and process at the heart of Jon Ronson's transfixing new book, The Psychopath Test.
Starting with the mystery of an enigmatic book sent anonymously to many of the world's top scientists, Ronson ventures increasingly deeply into the heart of madness, searching for answers to the mysteries of the psychopaths among us. What he finds, however, are only more questions.
Psychopathology, for example, doesn't appear as a disorder in the DSM-IV-TR, the psychological bible and desk reference, and his investigation into why not raises questions about that text and the diagnostic powers accorded it.
Similarly, while he initially resists involvement with the branch of Scientology dedicated to the discrediting of the psychiatric profession, he comes around to appreciating their concerns after interviewing a resident in a "treatment facility" who faked mental instability to escape a criminal sentence, but has been caught in the psychological bureaucracy ever since.
"It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you're sane than it is to convince them you're crazy."
Ronson's descent into madness takes him into the worlds of business and broadcasting, to a seminar where Hare teaches professionals how to use his test, and into the history of psychopathology and the industries it has engendered. As a journalist, Ronson is riddled with anxiety and self-doubt.
(Upon first reading the DSM, he attempts to figure out how many of the 374 conditions it describes apply to himself. The dozen he identifies may, in fact, be a conservative number.) Ronson lurches through this ramshackle journey, constantly doubting his own conclusions and even his understanding of himself.
Far from being problematic, his personality quirks make the author perhaps the perfect, fumbling guide to a strange and often contradictory world. It is stated, early on and with some certainty, that one out of every hundred people is a psychopath.
As Ronson digs more deeply, however, he begins to question not only the number, but the process of diagnosis and the definition of psychopathology. It's a fascinating, thought-provoking, equally disturbing and amusing journey, a wonderful read, and if Ronson doesn't come to any great conclusions, it is likely because there are none to be found.
This lack of any great answer goes a great distance to supporting what comes to seem the central, unstated premise of the book as a whole: The line between sane and crazy is never clear, and becomes murkier by degrees the more you study it.
Robert J. Wiersema is a Victoria-based bookseller and author. His latest novel is Bedtime Story.
Beauty queen killed: This is a news email. The above was a non-fiction true crime book
review. This story of Beauty queen
Monica Spear was murdered. This is news
way back in Jan. 10, 2014. Here’s an excerpt:
Now, days after attackers gunned down the soap opera star and her ex-husband,
investigators say Spear's camera was a key link that helped them track down her
killers.
Police found the camera inside the
home of one of seven suspects authorities have arrested in connection with the
slayings, the head of Venezuela's
national crime investigation agency said Thursday. Four suspects are still on
the loose, he said.
No one has been charged, but
officials say there is evidence linking the group of suspected
gang members to the double homicide.
My opinion: That’s sad, but at
least they caught the killers.
Charlie Bouthuell found: Does
anyone remember this story way back in Jul.
11, 2014? It’s this 12 yr
old black boy who went missing. The
story was then broken by Nancy Grace where she tells the father Charlie
Bothuell IV that his son Charlie Bothuell V has been found alive in his own
basement. Here’s the video. I don’t really like Nancy Grace, maybe
because of the accent. But I had to
watch this because it was so interesting to see the dad’s reaction that his son
was found alive.
Here’s an excerpt of an article:
Detailed allegations of physical and mental abuse were filed this week as the state tries to terminate the parental rights of Charlie Bothuell IV.
Monique Dillard-Bothuell, the boy's stepmother and mother of two other children, is also at risk of losing custody after it was revealed that she had allegedly threatened her stepson. No criminal charges have been filed against the parents.
I checked my basement,' Bothuell said. 'The FBI checked my
basement. The police checked my basement. My wife checked my basement. I've
been down there several times. We've all been checking.'
Youtube comment by Andrew A:
“Hey finding a black person in the dark is hard okay.”
My opinion: I thought Andrew
A was kind of funny. Now that I read
this article, I can believe the step mom is on the abuse and hiding her
stepson. I don’t know if the dad was in
on it too.
Teen mugshot: Now to end the
email/ blog post with something light.
This was on Yahoo news on Aug.
19, 2014:
“Best police photo ever? Teen gets mugshot wearing T-shirt
with previous mugshot on it”: Look at
the picture. I thought it was
interesting.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/teenager-poses-greatest-mugshot-ever-while-wearing-previous-113456969.html
Dec. 15 Maus:
On Nov.
22, 2014, I Google “Elizabeth Withey
not necessarily an easy read about the Maus comics. Instead I got this
other article of hers about the Life of Pi author Yann Martel.
The
article I was really looking for was about this:
Maus is a graphic
novel completed in 1991 by American cartoonist Art
Spiegelman. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his
experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust
survivor. The book uses postmodern techniques—most strikingly in its depiction
of races of humans as different kinds of
animals, with Jews as mice, Germans as cats and non-Jewish Poles as pigs. Maus
has been described as memoir, biography, history, fiction, autobiography, or a mix
of genres. In 1992 it became the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer
Prize.
Dec. 28 2014
Hall of Infamy Awards: Each year, there is the Globe and Mail travel
section written by John Lee who compiles all the funny, crazy travel stories of
people’s bad behaviors when they’re traveling and on vacation. Here’s one:
… goes to the drunken passenger on a flight to Scotland from Tunisia who was so incensed that her increasingly shouty demands for “cigarettes and a parachute” were being ignored that she removed her prosthetic leg and threw it at flight attendants. After kicking at the crew with her remaining leg and allegedly slapping a nearby child for good measure, the woman was restrained. The plane was diverted to London Gatwick, where police escorted her from the flight – and the remaining passengers reportedly started singing the Hokey Pokey.
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