Should we let go of our feelings?

Thomas Nelson25 said:Apocalypse Now

And there goes Valkyrie again. 😁

goldenjackal6 said:Evolution is actually pretty brilliant, which is exactly why high IQ shows up so frequently among psychopaths.

Using the word "normal" is really just a synonym for whatever trait most people happen to have. It doesn't mean something is inherently "good" when you step back and look at the big picture or try to plan long-term.

Affective empathy is only one side of the coin; the other is cognitive empathy. And honestly, depending on the situation, sometimes being driven by emotion works, and sometimes being rational is the move. Usually, being rational is the better bet.

Another non sequitur.

It's also just incorrect. At most, you could argue the link between Intel and psychopathy isn't fully settled since research results vary, but meta-analyses actually point toward a negative correlation—psychopaths tend to be less intelligent than the general population average.

It’s mostly a myth born from media tropes and some early theoretical speculation that lacks any real research backing.

goldenjackal6 said:Evolution is actually pretty brilliant, which is exactly why high IQ shows up so frequently among psychopaths.

Using the word "normal" is really just a synonym for whatever trait most people happen to have. It doesn't mean something is inherently "good" when you step back and look at the big picture or try to plan long-term.

Affective empathy is only one side of the coin; the other is cognitive empathy. And honestly, depending on the situation, sometimes being driven by emotion works, and sometimes being rational is the move. Usually, being rational is the better bet.

Once again, this has nothing to do with what you were responding to.😁

Joseph Bailey41 said:That's how Americans played games with things in Vietnam. They didn't exactly love the outcome.

But that's exactly why Manson was successful 🤣

goldenjackal6 said:Evolution is actually pretty brilliant, which is exactly why high IQ shows up so frequently among psychopaths.

Using the word "normal" is really just a synonym for whatever trait most people happen to have. It doesn't mean something is inherently "good" when you step back and look at the big picture or try to plan long-term.

Affective empathy is only one side of the coin; the other is cognitive empathy. And honestly, depending on the situation, sometimes being driven by emotion works, and sometimes being rational is the move. Usually, being rational is the better bet.

Maybe you were thinking of those purely logical types.
Add some heavy self-control and maybe some intelligence to the mix.
Think about a top-tier research scientist out there running experiments... yeah, they probably aren't religious.

Psychopaths aren't exactly stable. Sadists, though? They usually deal with inferiority complexes, trauma, and all that.

Joseph Bailey41 said:And there goes Valkyrie again. 😁

Helicopters have
Darkness... and then...

" I love the smell of napalm in the morning..

😁

bluemason3 said:But that's exactly why Manson was successful 🤣

Knowledge is power. 🧐

bluemason3 said:Another non sequitur.

It's also just incorrect. At most, you could argue the link between Intel and psychopathy isn't fully settled since research results vary, but meta-analyses actually point toward a negative correlation—psychopaths tend to be less intelligent than the general population average.

It’s mostly a myth born from media tropes and some early theoretical speculation that lacks any real research backing.

Once again, this has nothing to do with what you were responding to.😁

Look, I don't expect you to get it, and honestly, I'm done with this discussion. It's pretty clear you're just pulling arguments out of thin air based on biases you refuse to let go of.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Maybe you were thinking of those purely logical types.
Add some heavy self-control and maybe some intelligence to the mix.
Think about a top-tier research scientist out there running experiments... yeah, they probably aren't religious.

Psychopaths aren't exactly stable. Sadists, though? They usually deal with inferiority complexes, trauma, and all that.

No, like I said, those are just stereotypes cooked up by pop culture in movies and TV shows. Psychopaths who are sadistic and act on those impulses make up a tiny, tiny fraction of the overall psychopath population.

Just like with neurotypical people, the dysfunction in psychopaths is also driven by growing up in a broken environment. But for them, it isn't "trauma" in the classic sense; it's more about having terrible role models and a brain that shaped itself that way.

For instance, if you dig into notorious serial killers, you'll see a recurring pattern: their parents or guardians were violent, alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes, or religious fanatics, and as kids, they went through absolute nightmare scenarios that would make most people lose their lunch.

goldenjackal6 said:Look, I don't expect you to get it, and honestly, I'm done with this discussion. It's pretty clear you're just pulling arguments out of thin air based on biases you refuse to let go of.

No, like I said, those are just stereotypes cooked up by pop culture in movies and TV shows. Psychopaths who are sadistic and act on those impulses make up a tiny, tiny fraction of the overall psychopath population.

Just like with neurotypical people, the dysfunction in psychopaths is also driven by growing up in a broken environment. But for them, it isn't "trauma" in the classic sense; it's more about having terrible role models and a brain that shaped itself that way.

For instance, if you dig into notorious serial killers, you'll see a recurring pattern: their parents or guardians were violent, alcoholics, junkies, prostitutes, or religious fanatics, and as kids, they went through absolute nightmare scenarios that would make most people lose their lunch.

I think it's basically Narcissistic Personality Disorder at its core. Then, obviously, you factor in the environment and trauma.

But that example you gave, man? That was just a guy being extremely cold and rational.
Think doctors, medical pros, cops, military, politicians, corporate moguls... stuff like that.

Sure, you can call them psychopaths if you want... because yeah, some of them definitely are. Once you have power, you're going to find some sadists in the mix—it's just how things warp.

Thomas Nelson25 said:I think it's basically Narcissistic Personality Disorder at its core. Then, obviously, you factor in the environment and trauma.

But that example you gave, man? That was just a guy being extremely cold and rational.
Think doctors, medical pros, cops, military, politicians, corporate moguls... stuff like that.

Sure, you can call them psychopaths if you want... because yeah, some of them definitely are. Once you have power, you're going to find some sadists in the mix—it's just how things warp.

It seems like you’re just doubling down on this whole "psychopathy" thing based purely on your own biases without even bothering to address a single point I’ve actually made.

goldenjackal6 said:It seems like you’re just doubling down on this whole "psychopathy" thing based purely on your own biases without even bothering to address a single point I’ve actually made.

Alright.
Got it... so we're talking about those 'high-functioning psychopaths' now.

It’s been said before... "above man is the future of the nation."

goldenjackal6 said:You’ve gotta remember that most of the research on psychopathy is done on inmates in state prisons. It’s incredibly hard to spot functional psychopaths in the wild—most regular people wouldn't even realize they're dealing with one, and honestly, a lot of them don't even know they fit the profile themselves.

If empathy is underdeveloped, interpersonal relationships will inevitably suffer. Common sense simply cannot substitute for empathy, since our emotions often defy logic. At our core, we are highly emotional and irrational beings.

One only needs to look at the challenges faced by individuals with mild autism who are otherwise fully integrated into society—educated, intelligent, and successful in their careers. They often struggle to grasp why someone might take offense, because, logically speaking, there is no reason to. This frequently places a significant demand on those around them to provide extra patience and understanding.

mistybison said:If empathy is underdeveloped, interpersonal relationships will inevitably suffer. Common sense simply cannot substitute for empathy, since our emotions often defy logic. At our core, we are highly emotional and irrational beings.

One only needs to look at the challenges faced by individuals with mild autism who are otherwise fully integrated into society—educated, intelligent, and successful in their careers. They often struggle to grasp why someone might take offense, because, logically speaking, there is no reason to. This frequently places a significant demand on those around them to provide extra patience and understanding.

Once again, you're leaning on prejudices and you're wrong. It doesn't replace the actual internal experience, sure, but it definitely works in terms of functionality.

Yeah, people are emotional and irrational. I mean, you've probably heard the term emotional intelligence—it's not actually about *feeling* the emotions, it's about recognizing them. Just being able to identify an emotion is enough to maintain healthy relationships. Affective empathy isn't some mandatory prerequisite here; it's actually more of an innate mechanism that kicks in precisely because humans haven't fully caught up yet. Despite what everyone thinks, evolutionarily speaking, most people are still stuck in a pretty infantile stage when it comes to actual comprehension.

mistybison said:If empathy is underdeveloped, interpersonal relationships will inevitably suffer. Common sense simply cannot substitute for empathy, since our emotions often defy logic. At our core, we are highly emotional and irrational beings.

One only needs to look at the challenges faced by individuals with mild autism who are otherwise fully integrated into society—educated, intelligent, and successful in their careers. They often struggle to grasp why someone might take offense, because, logically speaking, there is no reason to. This frequently places a significant demand on those around them to provide extra patience and understanding.

No, no, no, and absolutely not. An autistic person's inability to register or interpret social and emotional cues has zero connection to psychopathy. In fact, it's the opposite—psychopaths generally have incredibly high emotional intelligence, which is exactly why they're such notorious manipulators.

To put it simply: an autistic person doesn't understand because they *can't*, whereas a psychopath understands perfectly well but chooses to act like they just don't give a damn.

bluemason3 said:That sounds pretty foolish and counterproductive to me. Fear exists for a reason; having too little of it is just as dysfunctional as having too much.

It’s better to stay stone-cold calm when a lion is attacking you.😁

Priests overcomplicate things. They’re always chasing after some nonsensical unicorns and trying to manifest these naive, impossible fantasy projections about what should or shouldn't happen.😁

Even wolves—and yeah, even lions—run for cover when someone starts waving a torch or a Kalashnikov around. 😉

goldenjackal6 said:Psychopathy is basically a disorder where a person's brain functions totally differently when it comes to spontaneous emotional reactions.

Let me break it down: in neurotypical (non-psychopathic) people, the centers responsible for generating specific emotions send signals to other parts of the brain whether they want to or not. But in a psychopath, there's this "switch" that stays stuck in the "off" position by default—especially when dealing with anxiety-spectrum emotions triggered by stress.

There are pros and cons to that. For instance, psychopaths are practically immune to PTSD and can be incredibly high-functioning in high-pressure situations (basically, they stay extremely cool under fire). On the flip side, they can become absolute monsters if they were raised in a dysfunctional environment, which is unfortunately the extreme version we see most often in Hollywood movies. Because of that, "psychopath" is probably one of the most stigmatized terms today. In reality, most psychopaths are perfectly functional people who just seem a little "off" if you observe them closely; they aren't out there fantasizing about murder or anything crazy like people imagine when they hear the word. If you think about it, Mr. Spock and Tuvok are essentially highly functional psychopaths because they suppress emotions entirely and think purely through logic—that’s the definition.

Common sense can substitute for any spontaneous emotional function; you don't need to be gripped by fear to recognize a threat and react appropriately.

Besides, emotions are a double-edged sword. When you're terrified, you stop thinking straight and end up doing something moronic, like running away from a lion. That's the dumbest move ever, because turning your back and presenting an easy target to a predator is basically just telling them you're an easy meal.

Look, suppressing emotions is definitely not a good thing. But you gotta ask yourself if you're actually distinguishing between repression and just... mastering or controlling them? Because those are two totally different worlds. You can't just say being in control makes someone a psychopath; having self-control isn't a disorder in itself. In my book, people only resort to true repression when they don't have any actual authority over their own minds or feelings to begin with. If they actually had that grip on themselves, they wouldn't need to push things down like that.

Joseph Bailey41 said:That's how Americans played games with things in Vietnam. They didn't exactly love the outcome.

Honestly, it’s probably because they never figured out how to build a gay bomb.

neonmarlin39 said:Even wolves—and yeah, even lions—run for cover when someone starts waving a torch or a Kalashnikov around. 😉

The truly fearless aren't intimidated by torches or the weapons carried by even the most dangerous creatures—including humans.

mistybison said:The truly fearless aren't intimidated by torches or the weapons carried by even the most dangerous creatures—including humans.

But what exactly is there to fear? You just turn an angry mob back into mindless swine and move on with your day. 🤣

If you actually manage to restore their humanity... well, then you've earned some serious prestige. 🧐

Joseph Bailey41 said:But what exactly is there to fear? You just turn an angry mob back into mindless swine and move on with your day. 🤣

If you actually manage to restore their humanity... well, then you've earned some serious prestige. 🧐

It would be wonderful if we actually possessed that kind of power! 😍

Someone loses their temper and—poof—they grow a little pig tail! 😍 😁

mistybison said:It would be wonderful if we actually possessed that kind of power! 😍

Someone loses their temper and—poof—they grow a little pig tail! 😍 😁

Honestly, anything less than a total transformation wouldn't cut it for me. 😁

And then, of course, turning them back to normal. Just so I can look them in the eye and say, "See? I told you that you were being a pig."

🤣

Joseph Bailey41 said:Honestly, anything less than a total transformation wouldn't cut it for me. 😁

And then, of course, turning them back to normal. Just so I can look them in the eye and say, "See? I told you that you were being a pig."

🤣

Sometimes you don't even need the grand makeover. It's enough if he just owns it: "Flying, I was being a pig!"