Microsoft Hatred FAQ

[Aragorn]

On Wednesday 19 October 2005 01:24, Steven D'Aprano stood up and spoke
the following words to the masses in /comp.os.linux.misc...:/

> On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:53:29 -0700, David Schwartz wrote:
> 
>>>> Wrong. The only obligation Microsoft has is to their shareholders.
>>>
>>> If you genuinely believe that, you are a psychopath.
>> 
>>     That's almost as convincing as "that's what you think".
>> 
>>     DS
> 
> 
> When you are repeating a fact with as much psychological research
> supporting it as that one, it isn't necessary to justify it, any more
> than it would be necessary to justify a statement like "parents love
> their children". It isn't John Kennedy's fault that you aren't up to
> date.
> 
> Both statements are generalisations, it is true, and both are probably
> true about the same percentage of time.
> 
> Oh, and if you think I'm saying something shocking by suggesting that
> somebody is a psychopath, I'm not. Something like one in five of the
> general population are psychopaths, a much higher percentage of
> "go-getters" like company CEOs, generals, politicians, executives,
> etc. Very few of them chop people up into small pieces and bury them
> in the wall cavities of their house.
> 
> With training and/or a good dose of enlightened self-interest, most
> psychopaths are perfectly capable of learning to not be selfish
> vicious brutes who care only for themselves and perhaps a few others.
> Or rather, to stop *acting* as selfish vicious brutes. Not caring
> about the harm done by your corporate machinery is not a crime.
> Actually doing that harm is, or at least should be, although sadly
> when we allow the psychopaths to make the rules, they tend to make
> rules that allow themselves to prosper at our expense.
 
You are correct, Sir.  The "psychopaths" who hack people up into small
pieces and use their remains for insulation, food or raincoat fabric
are in fact not psychopaths; they are sociopaths. ;-)

A psychopath is someone who lacks ethics and/or the ability to respect
his fellow human being.  They are quite often narcissistic and perverse
individuals.  They make good dictators and successful businessmen.

Their prevalence really isn't one out of five people - more like one out
of fifty - but I'm sure you knew that. ;-)

-- 
With kind regards,

*Aragorn*
(Registered Gnu/Linux user #223157)