Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The secret to becoming a billionaire: A psych evaluation

Yet another billionaire has issued another apology for comparing critics of income inequality to Nazis. This time it’s Home Depot founder and long-time GOP supporter Ken Langone. The only conclusion I can come to after the recent string of tone-deaf billionaire bloopers is that our wealthiest citizens are truly clueless about the world that lies beneath their penthouses. Is it simply willful ignorance or something more innate?

There have been articles published in recent years about how many clinical sociopaths there are in the C-suits of large companies. These are charismatic people who are incapable of experiencing guilt or shame for their actions and rarely apologize for their behavior (unless forced to). They are also very manipulative and constantly try to influence and dominate others. Sound familiar? If you want to become a billionaire in America (and probably other countries as well) you need to possess the characteristics of a sociopath.

This is a sad commentary on what it takes to achieve wealth in the twenty-first century.

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