[HPforGrownups] Re: Evil Overlords, Psycho Voldie, the Foe Glass

[Pam Hugonnet]

No: HPFGUIDX 24805



Jim Ferer wrote:

> "Disturbances in the content and/or process of thought?"  I'm stark,
> staring, barking mad by that standard.
>

    Join the club!  ; )

> Volemort isn't a schizophrenic. He's a classic sociopath, another
> Hitler, Stalin, Ted Bundy, whatever.  He possesses none of the limits
> most people do; he sees and treats people as objects, not human
> beings. Pawns. So he has so little empathy that he doesn't hesitate to
>
> kill or apply the Cruciatus Curse.  And sociopaths are often capable
> of being charming and a good manipulator.
>
>

    Absolutely; we're 100% in agreement.  I spent better than three
years working with and studying psychopaths for my dissertation.    I
have marveled at JKR's ability to present fairly accurate character
sketches of psychopaths without, for the most part, falling into common
traps and misconceptions.  It always bothers me a bit when I see the
clearly psychopathic or the antisocial referred to as insane.  But
psychopaths are *not* insane by clinical or legal standards.  Voldemort
is not just a psychopath, he's a "successful" psychopath, as were Hitler
and Stalin (Stalin more so).  Ted Bundy and so many of the other ones we
see are really not quite so good at it; the successful psychopath does
not get caught and generally suffers few adverse real world consequences
for his (or her) behavior.    The "good" ones are pretty much always
charming and definitely manipulative.  Voldemort is a frightening
character, in part because he is not crazy.  For him to be unhinged
would detract from his power to instill the creeps in me.  Were he just
some nut, I'd think:  "What he needs is a hip full of Haldol and a trip
to St. Mungo's."  That was my problem with Barty, Jr. and why the whole
Mad-Eye thing proved to be ultimately disappointing to me.  When JKR
made him unhinged, she (IMHO) undermined the masterful portrait she had
created of a supreme deceiver and  manipulator, willing to do anything
to anybody--no matter how heinous--to achieve his ends; in the end, he
became just another nutty zealot.   Big V and Lucius Malfoy (who may be
a better psychopath than Big V)  have lead me to wonder about JKR's
conception of the nature of evil and its appearance in everyday life.
I know we've tackled that thread before and we're kinda talking about it
again with this whole Evil Overlord thing.  Unfortunately I don't think
we'll be able to begin to answer that question until Book Seven.


drpam


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