Speak of the Devil
Glenn Greenwald’s writing specializes, it seems to me, in the mission of reporting and excoriating people who intentionally and/or carelessly tell lies without any empathy for those on the receiving end of the effects of those lies. For the latest Substack-published example of his writing in this direction, see https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-left-continues-to-destroy-itself.
Recall the American Association of Psychologists definitions of what Albert Bernstein identified as the five most prevalent forms of personality immaturity in his American experience:1
1. Antisocial personality disorder: a pattern of disregarding or violating the rights of others. A person with antisocial personality disorder may not conform to social norms, may repeatedly lie or deceive others, or may act impulsively.
2. Histrionic personality disorder: a pattern of excessive emotion and attention seeking. People with histrionic personality disorder may be uncomfortable when they are not the center of attention, may use physical appearance to draw attention to themselves or have rapidly shifting or exaggerated emotions.
3. Narcissistic personality disorder: a pattern of need for admiration and lack of empathy for others. A person with narcissistic personality disorder may have a grandiose sense of self-importance, a sense of entitlement, take advantage of others or lack empathy.
4. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: a pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfection and control. A person with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder may be overly focused on details or schedules, may work excessively not allowing time for leisure or friends, or may be inflexible in their morality and values.
5. Paranoid personality disorder: a pattern of being suspicious of others and seeing them as mean or spiteful. People with paranoid personality disorder often assume people will harm or deceive them and don’t confide in others or become close to them.
What Greenwald describes in his most recent Substack piece indicates that the actions of American Left are colored by all five of the most prevalent symptom-sets of personal immaturity found in the US. Not a good thing at all for the spreading of comity, good decision-making, and civility (or as one song in Stevie Vai’s repertoire would have it, that “Good happiness-stuff”).2
Cut 10, Blue Powder, Stevie Vai, 1990, in Passion and Warfare.