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Because eventually you can look at a person and their history, zoom out a bit, and see the forest without the obstruction of trees. Sociopaths are effective man
by tedks 12y ago
Because eventually you can look at a person and their history, zoom out a bit, and see the forest without the obstruction of trees. Sociopaths are effective manipulators, but don't form close relationships outside manipulation; they're impulsive and often irresponsible, which is why it's actually rare for them to be successful; when they are successful, you'll see a lot of individually maybe not-that-remarkable things blur together into a trail of broken lives left behind in their wake, and you can see how this person is truly not human, because they lack the most human thing of all -- empathy.
But, meeting someone for the first time, all you see is a charming smile, a warm handshake, and a nice, brilliantly intelligent person.
It should also be noted that many sociopaths also just end up in prison, because they're impulsive, don't care about others, and manipulate people, which can end very badly in most cases. It's not like sociopathy is a superpower; on the contrary it is a massive deficit. Most CEOs are not sociopaths, but the fact that the ratios are so screwed up is illuminating, because it tells us about our society more than anything else: we have optimized empathy, and the optimal amount is zero.