I'm so sorry for the good DUers played by a sociopath pretending to be in an abusive relationship

[UnrepentantLiberal]

The way they were toying with someone who is in extreme emotional distress and enjoying that people were fooled by their story could only be one thing: sociopath.

To those who bared their soul and those who tried help, please don't be disillusioned. It only means you are good people who were abused by someone who is defective emotionally. Someone who is literally incapable of empathy.

Just know that you are a real person and the one who did that this morning is not.

[fredamae]

1. Thank you but it is not a loss nor a waste of time

Someone who might read that thread may benefit from the good advice from many who are truly compassionate.

[HappyMe]

2. That's true.

It is still an incredibly mean and crazy thing to do.

[fredamae]

4. That is undeniably true n/t

[enough]

3. +1 (nt)

[99Forever]

5. Hard to imagine what drives this sort of psychopath.

Actually, I'm happy I can't wrap my brain around it.

It was encouraging however, to see many DUers try to help.

[grantcart]

6. On the road yesterday and have no idea what you are talking about. Can you provide a link?

When people start apologizing about a sociopath on DU I feel compelled to make sure it wasn't something I said.

[99Forever]

7. Certainly wasn't you Grant...

Here ya go:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021135214

[sadbear]

9. Wow!

I mean, that totally sounds contrived, but who here was willing to take that chance? What a horrible thing to do.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

12. It may sound contrived because you already knew

going in. I didn't pick up on it and I'm usually very good at spotting a con man.

[Atman]

13. I was on the jury...never got to vote.

It was locked and the poster removed before I could cast my vote, which was, btw, to hide it.

However, I was a bit surprised that so many people got taken in by it, as I offered in my jury explanation. It seemed to me to be a political statement right away, obviously open-ended with few specifics. A few respondents also picked up on it, but most did not.

The metaphor of an abusive relationship has been used frequently on DU to describe the GOP, but I've never seen it done in such a callous, insensitive way.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

15. I was on that jury too.

I guess we'll never know if one or more jurors cast the "freedom of speech" vote.

[BeHereNow]

8. What, exactly are you referring to?

Sorry, I have no idea who/what you are talking about...
BHN

[UnrepentantLiberal]

10. This thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021135214

[BeHereNow]

25. Okay- thanks.

Missed that one, fortunately. LOL
BHN

[RagAss]

11. Another troll earning their stripes.

[reflection]

20. Yeah, that was the mental gymnast

who was lamenting the fact that in the South, black people never looked him in the eye. Of course it was probably because his head was deep in his rectum, but que sera sera, you know?

[Marrah_G]

14. what a jerk

[Th1onein]

16. He/she was making the argument that if we don't love it, then leave it.

What an asshole.

[Trillo]

17. That poster screwed up with the word "married"

which seems to indicate a human marriage between two people. Thanks to UnrepentantLiberal in post #10 for linking to the thread in question.

The "sociopath&quot ?) seemed to be creating a metaphor. It certainly seems that the advice given by DUers in that thread could be construed as applicable to all kinds of relationships, such as that between a "Blue state" and a "Red state". Other situations could apply, such as that between a right-winger boss and left-wing employees, or between a corrupt state and, if it is possible to imagine such, a non-corrupt state.

If the advice for humans in abusive relationships is to leave permanently, then why isn't that advice good for states, or for asymmetric relationships such as that between Occupy and Police? If the police are continually abusing people exercising their rights, then why can't the abused people peacefully expel the police from their lives?

I think the poster made a rather deep point, one that is so easy to dismiss because they chose to use the word "marriage", suggesting a human relationship among equals, instead of the much more common abuser that exists in power-asymmetric relationships, where a more-powerful or more-connected group abuses a less-powerful or -connected group.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

18. Maybe because they were gleefully toying with someone

who is in emotional distress and people who were trying to help? If you can't see that then I'd say they makes you defective emotionally as well.

BTW, there's nothing deep about using marriage as a metaphor. It's been done countless times.

[Trillo]

21. How would an anonymous poster know some other poster is in emotional distress

unless those folks first tell that poster?

Instead you could argue we are all damaged by various sets of abusers we have encountered in our pasts.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

22. Because she said so.

That's how.

[dembotoz]

19. i read it fairly late when the deception was discovered

could not figure out if it was an out and out jerk

or

someone who really did not do a good job of trying to make a point.

i have been inarticulate to the point of appearing or being stupid in the past.

It WAS useful to me as in i am in an unpleasant relationship and the way the posts ran just reminded me of what i already knew.

abusive--in some ways perhaps but not so much anymore
not physically--but my shields are at 100 percent at all times.....

[gkhouston]

23. Sometimes it's easier to acknowledge your own story when you see it played out in someone else's

life. My best friend used to be married to an emotionally abusive man. She blamed herself for getting sucked into a bad relationship and staying there for far too long. She had difficulty understanding how it had happened, yet when she read some true crime books I had, she could see the pattern: she could realize that he'd played her from the start, wooing at first and gradually cutting off her ties to others. It made her realize that she wasn't the only one and that she wasn't stupid.

[AngryOldDem]

24. I replied to that, like a fool.

As soon as I hit Post, the OP let us know we had been punked. The "punchline" appeared right above my post. I immediately deleted what I had written out of pure disgust.

Not appreciated, not funny. For many reasons, today has not been the kind of day that has restored my faith in the basic decency of some people.

[xchrom]

26. I knew that didn't sound right to me. Terrible they did that. Nt

[yellerpup]

27. No surprise.

After the OP, good people jumped in offering strong, helpful advice. The replies from the OP to those compassionate suggestions set off my bs alarm and I decided not to 'help' on that one. Just another attention whore.

[lunatica]

28. I had a suspicion that was the case

Everything was just too vague about it. I chose to not answer. If it was real then a lot of good DUers were helping.

[Generic Other]

29. Most people are members of DU for sometime before they share their personal narratives

And some never do. I am suspicious of ones who are too eager. String us along like Uncle Oscar's tall tales.