The sociopath is drawn to broadcast media because it’s there that their shamelessness is best perceived as confidence. They’re incapable of feeling embarrassment and therefore appear artificially comfortable in the public eye. In the abridged protection of a produced moment, they can successfully synthesize humanity. In the spotlight, their lack of humanity and compassion is mistaken for consummate professionalism; unsuspecting audiences even see it as an attempt to remain “fair and balanced”. Sociopaths are never driven to tears and they even lack a normal blush response. Cunning and ambitious, they use easily digested platitudes, quotes and memetic slogans to deflect criticism and preserve their adjacency to power. When criticized, they posit themselves as neutral innocents who are unfairly maligned by unsatisfied extremes. Few people have the trained eye to spot sociopaths in the media, let alone confront them but they must be exposed if our society is ever to regain confidence in the humanitarian value of journalism.
The media sociopath is incapable of creative original thought and therefore must rely on a careful diet of reconstituted intellectual theft to produce “content” which is nothing more than an amalgam of plagiarized effluent. This need singularly motivates their “group” endeavours like: clubs, magazines, newsletters, public speaking and even teaching. In the cult-like captivity of their “guidance” the sociopath learns, absorbs and assimilates normalized human behaviour. There, amongst unsuspecting subscribers and contributors, they refine their ability to deceive while using social associations as a shield. If you have lunch with a broadcast sociopath, everyone must be informed of it. If you assist them, your “generosity” must be publicly announced in feigned gratitude. If you merely exist as contemporary, your achievements must be underlined in feigned celebration so that an association can be falsely created. The goal of the broadcast sociopath is to appear to others as a dynamic and well-liked collaborator. In the artificial crucible of social media, this is an all too easy illusion to achieve.
How to spot sociopaths? Do a few basic tests. Can they hold an unscripted abstract conversation? Sociopaths cannot discuss non-sequiturs nor can they reciprocate feelings. What they cannot understand, they simply ignore. They can talk “at” you but not with you and they cannot walk in anyone else’s shoes. Did they really answer your question? This requires a level of humility and intellect sociopaths often do not possess. That would require listening to you carefully. Watch for “canned” answers which are delivered with vague parameters or answers that do not match the topic at all. Watch for “A or B” responses where one side of the answer seems on topic but is unnecessarily complex and hints at confrontation while the other side is oversimplified yet easy to accept. It’s a de-escalation tactic used to deflect critics and debaters who lack self-confidence or the stamina of follow-through. Overwhelmingly, people pick B because A requires too much work to unpack.
Sociopaths often use systems to manipulate, flatter and deflect criticism. Look out for the “great, give me more” method where the sociopath immediately asks you for more of what you’ve already delivered. This is meant to make you feel appreciated but it’s a pitcher-plant tactic that only wastes your time and energy. Watch for imaginary self-deprecation where the sociopath shares an “embarrassing” story to prompt an empathetic reaction in you. Remember, they can feel no real embarrassment. Test this by asking them if anything else embarrasses them. In contradiction, most sociopaths will immediately brag that nothing embarrasses them. Sociopaths are mercurial and vacillate wildly in their reactions to you in order to de-stabilize you. They do not interact, they manage and anneal people. The sociopath aggrandizes their role because they perceive themselves as the centre point of reality. Most important of all, sociopaths will accuse you of “manipulating” them if you appeal to their conscience. Because they are remorseless and shameless, they perceive any attempt to extract humanity from them as an assault.
