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Anarchism for a Post-modern Age by: Sam Vaknin “The thin and precarious crust of decency is all that separates any civilization, however impressive, from the hell of anarchy or systematic tyranny which lie in wait beneath the surface.” Aldous Leonard Huxley (1894-1963), British writer I. Overview of Theories of Anarchism Politics, in all its forms, [...]
The Narcissist in the Workplace by: Sam Vaknin To a narcissist-employer, the members of his “staff” are Secondary Sources of Narcissistic Supply. Their role is to accumulate the supply (in human speak, remember events that support the grandiose self-image of the narcissist) and to regulate the Narcissistic Supply of the narcissist during dry spells (simply [...]
Bankers in Denial by: Sam Vaknin Denial is a ubiquitous psychological defense mechanism. It involves the repression of bad news, unpleasant information, and anxiety-inducing experiences. Judging by the German press, the country is in a state of denial regarding the waning health of its economy and the dwindling fortunes of its financial system. Commerzbank, Germany’s [...]
The Ecology of Environmentalism by: Sam Vaknin The concept of “nature” is a romantic invention. It was spun by the likes of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 18th century as a confabulated utopian contrast to the dystopia of urbanization and materialism. The traces of this dewy-eyed conception of the “savage” and his unmolested, unadulterated surroundings can [...]
The Self-Appointed Altruists by: Sam Vaknin Their arrival portends rising local prices and a culture shock. Many of them live in plush apartments, or five star hotels, drive SUV’s, sport $3000 laptops and PDA’s. They earn a two figure multiple of the local average wage. They are busybodies, preachers, critics, do-gooders, and professional altruists. Always [...]
Begging Your Trust in Africa by: Sam Vaknin The syntax is tortured, the grammar mutilated, but the message – sent by snail mail, telex, fax, or e-mail – is coherent: an African bigwig or his heirs wish to transfer funds amassed in years of graft and venality to a safe bank account in the West. [...]
OPEC’s Swan Song? by: Sam Vaknin Indonesia’s Energy Minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, is unhappy with the modest production cut, from June 1, of 2 million barrels per day, adopted by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries last week. He intends to demand further reductions at the June 11 get-together in Qatar. The deal struck is so [...]
The Morality of Child Labor by: Sam Vaknin From the comfort of their plush offices and five to six figure salaries, self-appointed NGO’s often denounce child labor as their employees rush from one five star hotel to another, $3000 subnotebooks and PDA’s in hand. The hairsplitting distinction made by the ILO between “child work” and [...]
The Wages of Science by: Sam Vaknin In the United States, Congress approved, last month, increases in the 2003 budgets of both the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. America is not alone in – vainly – trying to compensate for imploding capital markets and risk-averse financiers. In 1999, chancellor Gordon Brown inaugurated [...]
Narcissism in the Boardroom by: Sam Vaknin The perpetrators of the recent spate of financial frauds in the USA acted with callous disregard for both their employees and shareholders – not to mention other stakeholders. Psychologists have often remote-diagnosed them as “malignant, pathological narcissists”. Narcissists are driven by the need to uphold and maintain a [...]