Shortages in the Land of Plenty
The Dark Triad
There are a number of diagnosed personality disorders, covering a broad range of traits, that contribute to social toxicity. They are grouped into three categories – clusters A, B and C with cluster B disorders being the most destructive. Cluster B includes the psychopaths, malignant narcissists and machiavellian types. A common term being applied to the trio of malevolent styles is the Dark Triad. The Dark Triad collectively makes up about 7% of the population and they are all around us.
People with dark triad personality traits may exhibit:
- an unhealthy fascination with themselves
- lack of empathy and respect for others
- a preoccupation with obtaining power by any means
- manipulation and lying
- stealing and potentially criminal behavior
- violence or explosive anger
- violating social norms, especially around empathy
- lack of remorse for any harm caused
- arrogance
- a need for praise and attention
Present day politicians appear to have many of these traits including a strong desire for dominance over others. Even though they can appear incredibly charming, they are almost always authoritarian and follow hardline policies. They try to subvert democracy, reduce the freedom of the press and clamp down on dissent. They are obsessed with prestige, often persecute minority groups and rely on classic divide and conquer techniques for control. They are always corrupt and lacking in moral principles.
They don’t become leaders because of their ability or intelligence but simply because they have a tremendous desire for power and are ruthless in their pursuit of it. Honest politicians are easily marginalized in this environment. Dark Triad personalities are “social predators and like all predators, they are looking for feeding grounds. Wherever you get power, prestige and money, you will find them” Dr. Robert Hare, forensic Canadian psychologist and creator of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist.
Justin Trudeau is the subject of ongoing worldwide disdain and his actions during the Trucker’s protest of 2022 have been widely condemned. A recent ruling (January, 2024) by the Federal Court states that “The Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act in response to the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests was unreasonable, unjustified and violated the Charter.” Trudeau incited Canadians to support his actions by convincing them that the peaceful protest was dangerous. The now infamous image of a Nazi flag was displayed repeatedly on national media in order to inflame the public. A big issue for Trudeau was that no one actually saw the flag at the protests in spite of hundreds of thousands of Canadians (most armed with camera phones) attending. Significant cash rewards were offered to anyone who witnessed the flag. No one came forward. The flag was almost certainly a plant. Dirty tricks such as this are ridiculously easy to pull off and are classic Dark Triad political ploys. Trudeau relied on the image for months afterward and the courts have recognized that Trudeau used the media to demonize innocent Canadians. Political prisoners still languish in prisons in this country – held without charge after two years.
In September, a former Ukrainian Nazi SS officer was somehow honoured in parliament. The speaker of the House, Anthony Rota took the fall for the scandal and Trudeau claimed he knew nothing about it. A Freedom of Information request revealed last week that the invitation actually came directly from Trudeau! It seems that Trudeau cannot admit fault. What kind of person flaunts nazism in the most hallowed of Canadian institutions and then lies about it?
People with narcissistic and psychopathic traits have a strong desire for dominance and are disproportionately common in leadership positions. We know that politicians are rarely loved, admired or respected for long. Their grandiose sense of self-worth initially comes across as confident and strong – features we look for in leaders. It isn’t until their true nature leaks out that we realize how ruthless and manipulative they are. They often capitalize on their position to benefit themselves and people within their inner circle. Justin Trudeau’s net worth when he took office was $1.2 million. A recent update shows it at $128 million!
Is the world we are experiencing today dominated by a team of Dark Triad leaders? Forever wars and the destruction of whole nations are easy for these leaders if it advances their personal agendas. What can we do? We must educate ourselves about the reality of what we are dealing with. How can we protect our political systems and prevent dominance by deviant personalities capable of charming any average person who isn’t aware? Dr Robert Hare has asserted that even after decades of studying them, he is still fooled by them. There is no political system safe from their influence and they are largely untreatable.
There is some good news though. In recent years, advances in neuroscience and medical imagery show clear anomalous brain patterns, unique to various toxic personality disorders. It is within our ability to predict from brain scans, who might be unsuitable for the extremely important jobs of our elected officials. There are virtually no restrictions or prerequisites for individuals running for leadership roles in Canada today. Perhaps a diagnostic brain scan could be implemented to screen candidates – for the greater good.
“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” G. Michael Hopf
