A Tale of Two
Narcissists
By Robin of Berkeley
Let me introduce you to two narcissists I know and
(don't) love. First, there's Katie.
You probably know a "Katie." She talks about herself
nonstop, forever boasting and gloating. When you try to get a word in
edgewise, Katie immediately returns the conversation back to herself.
There's nothing she can't do. There's no
compliment or accomplishment that she doesn't flaunt. But when you're in a
jam or need a shoulder to cry on, Katie is nowhere in sight. And should you
inadvertently insult her, Katie will cut you off without blinking an eye.
Katie is annoying. But Lauren is another beast
entirely.
Like Katie, Lauren is relentlessly self-absorbed
and lacks empathy. But while Katie is not out to get you, Lauren means to
cause you real harm.
Lauren likes to elevate herself to a pedestal all
her own. She does this by undermining people and stealing their thunder.
Lauren particularly relishes publicly humiliating and degrading others.
Relentlessly competitive, she'll destroy anyone
who gets in her way. Because Lauren is cunning (and she looks so good), she
can easily outsmart and manipulate others.
Here's an example of Lauren: as my colleague, she
was jealous of my professional success. Consequently, she tried to drive me
out of the job, talking trash behind my back and sabotaging my projects.
Without a hint of a conscience, she was out to ruin me.
This is a tale of two narcissists, yet one is much
more dangerous than the other. Katie can react hostilely, but only when she
feels attacked. But Lauren will, out of the blue and for no good reason,
ravage other people.
Katie is a garden-variety narcissist. Lauren is
something much more treacherous. She's a narcissist, but so much more.
The problem with the narcissist label is that it
does not capture the full range of character disorders. Narcissism is, in
fact, only one of many character defects. There are several others than can
explain people like Lauren, such as paranoid, passive-aggressive,
sociopathic, sadistic. Or this label may come even closer: an abuser.
Now, what are we seeing on the political scene
these days? The Katies or the Laurens?
When Michelle Obama and her gal pals flew on a
military jet so close to lower Manhattan that they sent the residents into
full-blown Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, was that the behavior of a
garden-variety narcissist?
When Eric Holder, honored with the appointment as
Attorney General, chastised the nation about racism, was he acting like a
Katie or a Lauren?
When Nancy Pelosi threatens to investigate
opponents of the Ground Zero mosque, does she resemble a typical narcissist
or something much more?
And when Obama badmouths this nation over and
over, sides with Mexico against Arizona, even aligns himself with the United
Nations to dress us down, is this simple narcissism?
Blessedly, there aren't that many Laurens in this
world. People who make it their business to destroy you are uncommon. I
think this is part of the reason why so many were hoodwinked by Obama and
friends.
Numerous Obama voters had no idea what they were
getting themselves (and us) into. They didn't understand what makes
revolutionaries tick -- the defective consciences, the obsession with power
at all costs.
Many liberals and
independents thought they were voting for a nice, good-natured uniter and
healer. They had no idea that a whole subculture existed of über-Laurens.
They didn't understand that the Left has been patiently lying in wait for
decades for the moment when they could seize power.
And now I see the fearful and puzzled faces of
many liberals. They know something is wrong, but they have no idea what it
is. The problem absolutely, positively couldn't be the Democratic Party. The
Democrats are the party of the good guys, aren't they?
As a recovering liberal myself, I write to inform
people and to warn. Beholding Obama and the darkness that swirled around him
snapped me out of my lifelong trance.
My therapist's radar started blaring the moment
Obama came on the scene. And each day, when Pelosi acts like a whacked-out
queen and Obama whips up the masses, my radar roars like thunder. We have a
government composed of Laurens. They don't bat an eye about spoiling and
plundering.
Why do they do this? How can people be so cold of
heart?
It's the nature of the
beast. It's who they are and what they
do.
Because the tragic thing about the Laurens of the
world is this: Peel the layer off of their outer shell. Strip them of their
false self. Remove the fake bravado and oozy charm.
And when you look deep inside, deep into their
core, what do you see? You see nothing, nothing at all.
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