[ExI] Artificial Battles was Natasha's brand new doctorate

[BillK]

On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 5:35 PM, Mike Dougherty wrote:
> I'm not sure I understand what "fair competition" even means.
>
> Nature certainly provides a hostile environment wrt competition for
> resources; a limited number of gazelles and a gazelle-limited number
> of lions who compete as unfairly as they can with claws & fangs.
>
> In our "civilized" version of primordial plains, it's better to be the
> lion than the gazelle - but I can't imagine crying unfair when my
> peers with the bigger teeth get a bigger share.  ...not that I have
> any delusions of being a lion or even a gazelle.  I'll be honest and
> suggest in the world today I'm hardly a fieldmouse.
>

Pleased to meet you. I've got some investment bonds to sell you that
are 'guaranteed' to treble your money in a year. Just sign here. Quick
now! This special deal will be gone by tomorrow!

The question is - Do we want a society where psychopaths are the great
successes?

<http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2012-07-14/why-don%E2%80%99t-corrupt-players-wall-street-and-dc-show-remorse-their-destructive-a>
Quotes:
Many bankers, regulators and politicians have been caught in lie after
lie and scandal after scandal.
Why haven't they been shamed by all of the disclosures about their
behavior, and chastised by the destruction their actions are causing?

We'll answer each of these questions one at a time.
Many of the People Running Wall Street and D.C. Are - LITERALLY - Psychopaths
---------------------
As we've repeatedly noted, psychopaths caused the financial crisis …
and they will do it again and again unless they are removed from
power.
------------------
These "financial psychopaths" generally lack empathy and interest in
what other people feel or think. At the same time, they display an
abundance of charm, charisma, intelligence, credentials, an
unparalleled capacity for lying, fabrication, and manipulation, and a
drive for thrill seeking.
------------------------


Is that the 'successes' we, as a society, should be striving for?

BillK