Kotsko, Adam. Why We Love Sociopaths. Washington: Zero Books 2012
Fantasy sociopath characterized by a lack of moral intuition, human empathy, and emotional connection. Yet uses these traits to his advantage, unlike in real life these traits do not prevent him from acting, from accomplishing tasks and realizing goals.
My hypothesis is that the sociopaths we watch on TV allow us to indulge in a kind of thought experiment, based on the question: “What if I really and truly did not give a fuck about anyone?” And the answer they provide? “Then I would be powerful and free.”
The fantasy sociopath is a way to escape the “inescapably social nature of human experience.”
The typical sociopath is someone who could butt-in line, and then make the person that calls them out look silly for it.
The big transition to fantasy sociopathology: When we move from “I hate that guy” to “I wish I were that guy.” 6 This happen because our moral superiority no longer suffices, “Oh isn’t it good that I’m not an asshole like that guy,” but then it appears with the breakdown of the social that assholes are getting away with lots of stuff, here Kotsko cites the bankers on Wall St. walking away with millions in bonuses, while the average Joe is forced to bail out the banks. 7
“What our cultural fascination with the fantasy sociopath points toward, however, is the fact that the social order … might also deliver some form of justice of fairness. The failure to deliver on that front is much more serious and consequential than the failure to allay our social anxieties, though the pattern is similar in both cases. in a society that is breaking down, the no-win situation of someone flagrantly cutting in line repeats itself over and over, on an ever grander scale, until the people who destroyed the world economy walk away with hundreds of millions of dollars in “bonuses” and we’re all reduced to the pathetic stance of fuming about how much we hate that asshole — and the asshole also has the help of a worldwide media empire (not to mention an increasingly militarized police force) to shout us down if we gather up the courage to complain.”7
“At that point the compensation of moral superiority no longer suffices. WE recognize our weakness and patheticness and project its opposite onto our conquerors. If we feel very acutely the force of social pressure, they feel nothing. if we are bound by guilt and obligation, they are completely amoral. And if we don’t have any idea what to do about the situation, they always know exactly what to do. If only I didn’t give a fuck about anyone or anything, we think — then I would be powerful and free. Then I would be the one with millions of dollars, with the powerful and prestigious job, with the more sexual opportunities than I know what to do with. In short order, it even comes to seem that only such people can get ahead.” 7
Kotsko claims that the guy that thinks to himself, “I’d love to be Tony Soprano” and the guy working in the bank that thinks he IS Tony Soprano, is that in both cases they overlook the social nature of their predicament:
“What both fail to recognize is that Tony Soprano’s actions are no more admirable or necessary than the decision to exclude some poor schlub from the in-group on the playground. More fundamentally, both fail to recognize that what is going on is a social phenomenon, a dynamic that exceeds and largely determines the actions of the individuals involved — not a matter of some people simply being more callous or amoral (though some people certainly are) or being more clear-eyed and realistic (as few of us really are in any serious way).”9
The fantasy of the sociopath, then, represents an attempt to escape from the inescapably social nature of human experience. The sociopath is an individual who transcends the social, who is not bound by it in any gut-level way and who can therefore use it purely as a tool. The two elements of the fantasy sociopath may not make for a psychologically plausible human being, but they are related in a rigorously consistent way. 9
Sociopaths, or the fantasy of sociopaths that appear in various television shows, represent our attempt to escape the social, or the breakdown of the social. That is,
breakdown of the social
How ideology of family buttresses the fantasy of the sociopath
Altruism, caring for others can be our greatest weakness as sociality breaks down, interns, volunteerism, used as free exploitative labour. As opposed to the sociopath whose ability to manipulate social norms through various ruses, cheating and lying, may be denounced from a standpoint of morality, but the fact is, that it works. “In a broken society, it seems, only a broken person can succeed.” 14
Wimps or timid individuals, so busy thinking if they play by the rules, their hard work will get recognized are deluded. Society really is broken. And this is what Kotsko argues fuels the fantasy of the sociopath 14
“In addition to pointing to the problem, then, the fantasy of the sociopath may be pointing toward a solution. If relating to social norms as tools is the mark of a sociopath, then perhaps we could all benefit from being more sociopathic. it may not be a matter of choosing between cynically manipulating social norms and faithfully following them, but of choosing the goals towards which we cynically manipulate them — meaning first of all that we need to abandon the path of manipulating them toward self-undermining ends. Indeed, the problem with fantasy sociopaths may be that they are not sociopathic enough, that their end goals wind up serving the system they have supposedly transcended and mastered.” 15-16
AGAIN “If relating to social norms as tools is the mark of a sociopath, then perhaps we could all benefit from being more sociopathic.” 15-16
Schemers Short-sighted, bumblers, seek only to take advantage of others, plans are mis-managed, but all about winning. This is zero or base level sociopathy.
– Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
– Eric Cartman (South Park)
Climbers Seducers, skillful manipulators in very clearly-defined ways
– Don Draper (Mad Men)
– Peggy Olson (Mad Men)
– Stringer Bell (The Wire)
Enforcers sociopathically devoted to their jobs, violation of the law is committed for the sake of the law, “to achieve the goals that the law cannot achieve when enforced literally.” These characters represent the ultimate “necessary evil,” whose anti-social tendencies keep the social order from collapsing.
– Jimmy McNulty (The Wire) Rogue police officer where its necessary to violate the law in order to maintain the law, to keep social order from collapsing.
– Jack Bauer (24)
– Dexter (Dexter)
– Dr. Gregory House (House)