Look, we all do it. We hurl about terms like psychopath and narcissist with reckless abandon and almost always without fully understanding the nature of the terms and the subtlety and nuance that goes into a clinical diagnosis.
Former PM Kevin Rudd was labelled “a psychopath” by former MP Steve Gibbons, and “a psychopathic narcissist” by former NSW premier Kristina Keneally. Peter Garrett ratcheted it up a notch by calling Rudd “a megalomaniac”. And that’s just the diagnoses from within Rudd’s own party. Why, the man must be a veritable walking copy of the psychiatric bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
It is arguably true that Canberra is a magnet for narcissists of various stripes. In fact, anyone who wants to get into the caper knows that getting elected to parliament involves a bevy of posters featuring their name and smiling face being nailed to lampposts and wedged in front gardens all over their home suburb. It has to be more satisfying than looking in the mirror for hours.
The trouble is, once these narcissists get to Canberra, they find themselves outgunned by bigger, badder, more vain, more hollow, more manipulative narcissists. Interacting with narcissists more narcissistic than they are must be a real blow to their bloated egos.
Full column here.
Speaking of cons:
http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/the-four-great-myths-of-gonski–why-christopher-pyne-was-right-20170223-guk0ue.html
Regardless of diagnosis, dictator trumps continued attacks on and efforts to shut down any media that try to hold him to account should be a concern to every thinking person. If he was in charge of any other country on the planet he would be universally condemned. As he should be.
Cerebral Hypoxia could be the reason for trump appearing to be delusional. It probably also accounts for the many of the cons comments here and especially on cricket. They see one innings, a couple of catches and they want people immortalised in bronze? Renshaws foot work against spin is much improved, he did go back to the stiff legged stuff against the quick though, he needs to find some guts. Good old SOK had a good afternoon. Made Warnie shut the hell up. Mr Warne was very disrespectful to SOK. Some have been alluding to SOK’s consistent efforts for several seasons.
Dismayed, old cock, a friends friend wants to hire a knob for a party. Unfortunately he is not cashed up at the moment. Do you come in other sizes than XXXL??
SOK has done and is doing great in this test, and good on him and I hope he continues in this vein. Do you want to put him in bronze? I very much doubt this is the first time you have swallowed this summer.
Great effort by Renshaw, despite the bean bag critics.
A bloke called Lyon took 5 for 74 for the match too, no bullshit. There’s another bronze statue in the making.
You want to talk disrespectful?
SOK brought Lyon into the game nicely.
Hopefully we can add another 100 to our 298 lead and we should be a good chance in India. Though as I have read we should never write them off over there. Poor young Renshaw had a dose of the Pune prune. I’m not sure whether Border and others expect to shit himself out in the middle, or lose his wicket due to the concentration required, not to mention the physical contortions required, to stop one shitting oneself. It certainly wouldn’t be a great time for a quick single.
Anywho at this stage we are in the drivers seat.
Lead of 424 now which I would think is enough. Smith made one of the grittiest 100s I’ve seen in a long time. He is scary good.
Lots of chances but without a doubt a match winner.
Never bullshit a bullshitter.
And does my narcissism look big in this?
Seem to have a problem with some of my posts not going through.
On Donald , don’t worry too much, the better angels of America will deal with him. Mad kings tend not to live long. I see he is already calling news conferences, and then banning news reporters that he doesn’t like.
If clinical descriptions are inappropriate at this stage, can we just go with nut job?
Cheers
Is he a Narcissist, is he a Mega Maniac, is he a Genius, Mr Insider, and of course I refer to POTUS Trump who has promised to oversee a massive US Military build-up, the likes not seen for a long time, and to stamp out ISIS! I like the man I do and he loves Coal too!. Goodness me, as the Chinese say “may you live in interesting times” and we sure do!
http://tinyurl.com/hqarz3z
Indeed he is a genius Henry. I was beginning to falter in my belief when contemplating the scale of his plans to make America great again, until I received a communique from my reliable source entrenched in Trumps inner circle.
I shall now reveal the brilliance of Trump’s master plan.
As we know Trump has personal debts of about 1.5 billion. What he proposes to do is to bring all Americans, especially those “forgotten” Americans into play so their full potential can be realised, as has his, been realised.
He proposes to spend about a billion on various projects for each American citizen, and there’s about 320 million of them.
That’s a lot of money. And you know what, I think it will work. The Donald understands debt better than anyone, and as soon as he gets a solid line of credit for 320 million billion dollars* the USA is gonna rock man!
* If anyone can do it , Donald can.
http://fortune.com/2016/08/24/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-donald-trumps-debt/
(just between you and me, this is just the beginning. The manifest destiny for the United States under the guidance of ‘”The Donald” is to by 2030, buy China, buy Russia, Buy Saudi Arabia, buy Iran and Europe. Just buy the damn joints, outright, freehold! The man doesn’t have a messianic complex, he is the Messiah, it’s the Napoleon part that worries me. )
Sacre Bleu, Mr Baptiste, you seem to have a wonderful source of information on the Trump camp. Keep us all illuminated please as info comes to hand. Say that Kim Jog-Un must be a worried little vegemite now he knows Donald is “arming himself” to the teeth. Cheers buddy.
HB….I think young Kim is panicking somewhat because the Malaysian government won’t release his half-brothers body. Full military guard outside the KL morgue to save the body from being secretly stolen away….very exciting stuff
John OH 23rd Feb 9:39pm
Previous blog you said “I would be interested in a direct quote from Triggs in which she said anything remotely resembling what you just attributed to her”.
Happy to John. The Saturday Newspaper 23rd April 2016. You should remember it because Triggs in October 2016 told Senate Estimates it was all made up, until the publication pointed to the tape of the interview they were holding, and she recanted.
“I was unprepared for dealing with senior political figures with no education whatsoever about international law.”
“Our parliamentarians are usually seriously ill-informed and uneducated”.
“I knew that anger was under the surface. I knew I could have responded and destroyed them”.
“I could have had other options, the possibility of criminal prosecutions of the Attorney General”.
“They are cowards and the moment you stand up to them they crumble, and they did crumble”.
“I can do what I’m trained to do and they almost can’t touch me”.
Get the drift John? I hope so.
I hesitate to to keep this zombie alive, but yes, Lou, I get the drift: like Brandis and the other authoritarians in the government, you confuse criticism of government with bragging about being above government. In a democracy, we are all above government in that respect.
That a boy, don’t give up under the weight of evidence, just keep throwing one more punch after the hooter in the last round.
Don’t talk to me about confusion. She was in a statutory position that she thought transcended the government of the day. A dangerous autocratic stance to her commission. She said what clearly any balanced citizen would say no we didn’t give you that right.
It takes some chutzpah to start a zombie thread, then bag the other guy for replying “after the hooter”, _then_ proceed to do exactly the same thing!
As you’ve made it clear that you don’t want to talk it about it any more, and in any case haven’t said anything new, I’ll just leave you with this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
good person in the wrong job
Like Gillard Jack? I always thought she did a great job as Deputy PM….but then we know what happened.
Penny, i don’t think Julia was as out of her depth as Gillian Triggs is. Triggs is floundering, and doesn’t seem to see the problem. Not waving, drowning.
As to Julia, my understanding is that she proved to be very good at the nuts and bolts of governing and of a fair bit of the policy, but she seemed to me lose her way with the retail politics.
i had this same experience a few times, i would be introduced to business folk who had been down in canberra dealing with her, and the introducer would say, Jack knows her from way back, tell him what you thought.
they would inevitably tell me how smart, charming, organised, efficient, warm and funny she was. all said with a look of complete surprise, and i would say, yep, that’s Julia.
She seemed to lose her ability to show all that to the general public, maybe it was to do with the way she got the job, and Rudd’s behaviour, but it seems a shame to me.
i had thought since the 1980s she was at least Ministerial material and maybe PM stuff.
No surprises.
http://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2017/iraq-dossier/
Narcissist ex ousted PM Tony Abbott has caused a wave of disbelief with his pathetic remarks 2 days ago, Mr Insider, and is now more than ever “yesterdays man”. Time to go Abbott and give the long suffering Taxpayers who have paid your way for many years a break you goose!
http://tinyurl.com/jgqmznr
My your fickle, Henry. It was only in the last week when you were trumpeting (hoho) the return of Abbott. Some consistency is required, old bean.
I am a mischief maker dear Milton. I do know you are a Abbott devotee of the highest order and always have been, but no harm in that. Abbott is a goner buddy, time for you to move on and embrace someone new. Cheers.