Definitions by Lorelili
justifiable
"The Cell Block Tango" from "Chicago" paints pictures of justifiable homicide;
"He had it coming,
He had it coming,
He only had himself to blame;
If you'd have been there,
If you'd have seen it,
I'll betcha you would have done the same!"
"He had it coming,
He had it coming,
He only had himself to blame;
If you'd have been there,
If you'd have seen it,
I'll betcha you would have done the same!"
justifiable by Lorelili July 29, 2012
sociopath
A layperson's term for somebody with antisocial personality disorder: somebody who lacks a conscience. This is somebody who knows right from wrong, but doesn't care because he/she does not think in those terms; they care about their own benefit, regardless of who is in the way.
The sociopath is very often thought of as a serial killer, but that represents only a small portion of them; sociopaths can be anybody.
Sociopaths come in these basic types:
Common: A simple lack of conscience and lack of proper integration into society, they're feral children grown up.
Alienated: Alienated from other people, they have trouble empathizing with others.
Aggressive: Comes with a consistent sadistic streak.
Dissocial: Abides by gang rules and morals that antagonize mainstream society.
The sociopath generally holds at least three of the following seven traits:
1. Failure to conform to social norms, including behavior that warrants arrest.
2. Deception; they're glib, pathological liars, and manipulators, often use false names.
3. Impulsive behavior; failure to plan ahead.
4. Irritable and aggressive, frequent fights or attacks.
5. Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others.
6. Consistently irresponsible; their work behavior is often inconsistent, they can be catastrophic parents.
7. Without remorse; will justify stealing or hurting others ("if you hadn't dressed like that, I wouldn't have raped you").
The sociopath is very often thought of as a serial killer, but that represents only a small portion of them; sociopaths can be anybody.
Sociopaths come in these basic types:
Common: A simple lack of conscience and lack of proper integration into society, they're feral children grown up.
Alienated: Alienated from other people, they have trouble empathizing with others.
Aggressive: Comes with a consistent sadistic streak.
Dissocial: Abides by gang rules and morals that antagonize mainstream society.
The sociopath generally holds at least three of the following seven traits:
1. Failure to conform to social norms, including behavior that warrants arrest.
2. Deception; they're glib, pathological liars, and manipulators, often use false names.
3. Impulsive behavior; failure to plan ahead.
4. Irritable and aggressive, frequent fights or attacks.
5. Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others.
6. Consistently irresponsible; their work behavior is often inconsistent, they can be catastrophic parents.
7. Without remorse; will justify stealing or hurting others ("if you hadn't dressed like that, I wouldn't have raped you").
Unlike psychopaths, who are have fearlessly reckless temperaments, don't feel stress, and are nearly impossible to socialize, sociopaths are generally made and have relatively normal temperaments and are more easily agitated. Most sociopaths are the result of overburdened, inadequate parents and the wrong set of peers and an unstable environment, but can be properly socialized in better settings with stable, competent parents and adequately adjusted peers. The psychopath is found in every social class while the sociopath is generally from poor neighborhoods. The psychopath feels nothing for others but will care for others if it suits their purpose while the sociopath can feel empathy and remorse in specific contexts; the psychopath's crimes tend to be meticulous while the sociopath's crimes tend to be sloppy and erratic; the psychopath can escape undetected for years while the sociopath is more easily discovered.
forlorn hope
A band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high.
The term is from Dutch, roughly translated as "lost troop".
While the Donner Party was trapped in the mountains, a team of the fifteen strongest immigrants (five women, nine men, and a boy of twelve) set out on December 16, 1846, to find help, using makeshift snowshoes made by an old farmer, Franklin Graves. Later known as the "Forlorn Hope", the group consisted of:
*Luis and Salvador (19, 28), Miwok guides, murdered for food.
*Antonio (23), a teamster, died
*Patrick Dolan (35), died
*William Foster (31), survived
*Sarah Murphy-Foster (20), survived; she and William lost their toddler, Jeremiah (2.5)
*Harriet Murphy-Pike (18), survived; lost her baby, Catherine
*Lemuel Murphy (12), died despite his sisters; his mother, Levina (37), and brother, John (17), also lost
*William Eddy (28), survived; lost his wife, Eleanor (25), and both children, James and Margaret (3, 1)
*Franklin Graves (57), died; his wife, Elizabeth (46), and three youngest children, Jonathan, little Franklin, and little Elizabeth (7, 5, 1), were lost.
*Mary Graves (20), survived
*Sarah Graves-Fosdick (22), survived
*Jay Fosdick (23), died
*Amanda McCutchen (23), survived; lost her baby, Harriet
*Charles Stanton (30), died
The term is from Dutch, roughly translated as "lost troop".
While the Donner Party was trapped in the mountains, a team of the fifteen strongest immigrants (five women, nine men, and a boy of twelve) set out on December 16, 1846, to find help, using makeshift snowshoes made by an old farmer, Franklin Graves. Later known as the "Forlorn Hope", the group consisted of:
*Luis and Salvador (19, 28), Miwok guides, murdered for food.
*Antonio (23), a teamster, died
*Patrick Dolan (35), died
*William Foster (31), survived
*Sarah Murphy-Foster (20), survived; she and William lost their toddler, Jeremiah (2.5)
*Harriet Murphy-Pike (18), survived; lost her baby, Catherine
*Lemuel Murphy (12), died despite his sisters; his mother, Levina (37), and brother, John (17), also lost
*William Eddy (28), survived; lost his wife, Eleanor (25), and both children, James and Margaret (3, 1)
*Franklin Graves (57), died; his wife, Elizabeth (46), and three youngest children, Jonathan, little Franklin, and little Elizabeth (7, 5, 1), were lost.
*Mary Graves (20), survived
*Sarah Graves-Fosdick (22), survived
*Jay Fosdick (23), died
*Amanda McCutchen (23), survived; lost her baby, Harriet
*Charles Stanton (30), died
The Forlorn Hope wandered from December 16, 1846, until January 17, when a Miwok village helped the seven survivors to the safety of Johnson's Ranch, where they called for a rescue mission.
On Christmas Day, hopelessly lost and their starvation rations gone, the idea of cannibalism was first discussed, but nobody could bear to kill anybody. As a blizzard lashed them that night, Antonio died, followed by Graves, who died in the arms of his daughters; Dolan went mad before he slipped into a coma. Those remaining butchered and ate the flesh of their dead companions, sobbing in shame as they ate; Luis and Salvador, plus William Eddy, refused to eat. Taking pains to avoid eating their dead relatives, the party trudged on, cursing the man whose shortcut had led them to this.
William Foster, crazed by hunger, suggested killing Luis and Salvador for food; Eddy unsuccessfully tried to discourage him before warning the two men, who ran as far as they could.
Sarah Fosdick, a newlywed, had just lost her father and then had to watch her husband die and then see his heart roasting on a stick.
"What to do we did not know. Some of those who had children and families wished to go back, but the two Indians said they would go on. I told them I would go too, for to go back and hear the cries of hunger from my brothers and sisters was more than I could stand. I would go as far as I could, let the consequences be what they might." -Mary Graves (1826-1891)
On Christmas Day, hopelessly lost and their starvation rations gone, the idea of cannibalism was first discussed, but nobody could bear to kill anybody. As a blizzard lashed them that night, Antonio died, followed by Graves, who died in the arms of his daughters; Dolan went mad before he slipped into a coma. Those remaining butchered and ate the flesh of their dead companions, sobbing in shame as they ate; Luis and Salvador, plus William Eddy, refused to eat. Taking pains to avoid eating their dead relatives, the party trudged on, cursing the man whose shortcut had led them to this.
William Foster, crazed by hunger, suggested killing Luis and Salvador for food; Eddy unsuccessfully tried to discourage him before warning the two men, who ran as far as they could.
Sarah Fosdick, a newlywed, had just lost her father and then had to watch her husband die and then see his heart roasting on a stick.
"What to do we did not know. Some of those who had children and families wished to go back, but the two Indians said they would go on. I told them I would go too, for to go back and hear the cries of hunger from my brothers and sisters was more than I could stand. I would go as far as I could, let the consequences be what they might." -Mary Graves (1826-1891)
forlorn hope by Lorelili January 4, 2012
Sarah Good
(July 11, 1653 – July 19, 1692), Sarah Good was one of the first three people accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials, along with Tituba and Sarah Osborne.
Born in Salem Village, Sarah was one of the the first people that nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams accused of witchcraft. The accusation was not difficult to believe; Sarah was irritable and a beggar. Sarah was only 38, but she looked much older from living in the streets. She angered easily and walked away muttering when neighbors denied her food and shelter, her muttering interpreted as curses, made all the worse since she didn't go to church.
Sarah denied the charges against her, but her status as an outcast and the histrionics displayed by the "bewitched" girls sealed her fate. Her estranged husband also bore witness against her, and their little daughter, Dorothy "Dorcas" Good, was also frightened into testifying.
Sarah was sentenced to death, despite her pregnancy. After seven months in a dank, dirty prison she gave birth to a baby girl who died within days.
Born in Salem Village, Sarah was one of the the first people that nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams accused of witchcraft. The accusation was not difficult to believe; Sarah was irritable and a beggar. Sarah was only 38, but she looked much older from living in the streets. She angered easily and walked away muttering when neighbors denied her food and shelter, her muttering interpreted as curses, made all the worse since she didn't go to church.
Sarah denied the charges against her, but her status as an outcast and the histrionics displayed by the "bewitched" girls sealed her fate. Her estranged husband also bore witness against her, and their little daughter, Dorothy "Dorcas" Good, was also frightened into testifying.
Sarah was sentenced to death, despite her pregnancy. After seven months in a dank, dirty prison she gave birth to a baby girl who died within days.
Four-year-old Dorothy Good testified that her mother, Sarah Good, had taught her witchcraft. Dorothy had been bullied into saying it, and she also probably did so to be with her mother in jail. Dorothy survived, but she had witnessed guards taking her mother to execution and she was traumatized for life.
Sarah Good cursed the hanging judge, Nicholas Noyes, before she was hanged, "You're a liar! I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink!"
Noyes died twenty years later, choking on his own blood.
Sarah Good cursed the hanging judge, Nicholas Noyes, before she was hanged, "You're a liar! I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink!"
Noyes died twenty years later, choking on his own blood.
Sarah Good by Lorelili January 2, 2012
Donner Party
A segment of the wagon train headed to California in 1846. They had been enticed by young promoter Lansford W. Hastings, who advertised a new and faster route to California (which he only tested once with a horse; it turned out not only more dangerous but 125 miles longer than the charted route).
The twenty wagons of the Donner Party left the regular route in early July and headed for Fort Bridger, the first stop on the shortcut. Beginning on the shortcut in late July, they at first made good time but soon found that the trail over the Wasatch Mountains was almost impassible. Instead of only a week, the trip over the steep Wasatch to the Great Salt Lake took a whole month. Next, the journey over the Great Salt Desert took nearly six days instead of two. The shortcut rejoined the established trail two months after they had embarked on it. By late October, they reached the Sierras but an early winter storm blocked the pass. The travelers were trapped, only 150 miles from the safety of Sutter's Fort.
Trapped in the mountains from November until April, two thirds of the men died as did a third of the women and children. Desperation drove most of the Donner Party to eat the dead. A group of fifteen of the strongest immigrants (nine men, five women, and a boy of twelve) and two Indian guides set off to find help in mid-December, but when they found help in mid-January only two of the men (both married with children) were alive; all five women survived.
The twenty wagons of the Donner Party left the regular route in early July and headed for Fort Bridger, the first stop on the shortcut. Beginning on the shortcut in late July, they at first made good time but soon found that the trail over the Wasatch Mountains was almost impassible. Instead of only a week, the trip over the steep Wasatch to the Great Salt Lake took a whole month. Next, the journey over the Great Salt Desert took nearly six days instead of two. The shortcut rejoined the established trail two months after they had embarked on it. By late October, they reached the Sierras but an early winter storm blocked the pass. The travelers were trapped, only 150 miles from the safety of Sutter's Fort.
Trapped in the mountains from November until April, two thirds of the men died as did a third of the women and children. Desperation drove most of the Donner Party to eat the dead. A group of fifteen of the strongest immigrants (nine men, five women, and a boy of twelve) and two Indian guides set off to find help in mid-December, but when they found help in mid-January only two of the men (both married with children) were alive; all five women survived.
"Anguish and dismay now filled all hearts. Husbands bowed their heads, appalled at the situation of their families. They cursed Hastings for his false promises and broken pledge at Fort Bridger... Mothers in tearless agony clasped their children to their bosoms with the old, old cry, 'Father, Thy will, not mine, be done.' It was plain that try as we might, we could not get back to Fort Bridger. We must proceed, regardless of the fearful outlook." -Eliza Donner (1843-1922)
The third rescue party captured perhaps the most poignant scene of the Donner Party.
"The picture of distress... They had consumed two children of Jacob Donner. Mrs. Graves’s body was lying there with almost all the flesh cut away from her arms and limbs... Her little daughter, about 13 months old, sat at her side, one arm upon the body of her mangled mother, sobbing bitterly, crying, 'Ma! Ma! Ma!'"
"I have not wrote you half of the trouble we’ve had, but I have wrote you enough to let you know what trouble is. But thank God, we are the only family that did not eat human flesh. We have left everything, but I don’t care for that. We have got through with our lives. Don’t let this letter dishearten anybody. Remember, never take no cutoffs (shortcuts) and hurry along as fast as you can." -Virginia Reed (1833-1921)
The third rescue party captured perhaps the most poignant scene of the Donner Party.
"The picture of distress... They had consumed two children of Jacob Donner. Mrs. Graves’s body was lying there with almost all the flesh cut away from her arms and limbs... Her little daughter, about 13 months old, sat at her side, one arm upon the body of her mangled mother, sobbing bitterly, crying, 'Ma! Ma! Ma!'"
"I have not wrote you half of the trouble we’ve had, but I have wrote you enough to let you know what trouble is. But thank God, we are the only family that did not eat human flesh. We have left everything, but I don’t care for that. We have got through with our lives. Don’t let this letter dishearten anybody. Remember, never take no cutoffs (shortcuts) and hurry along as fast as you can." -Virginia Reed (1833-1921)
Donner Party by Lorelili December 18, 2011
personality disorder
When one's personality traits and/or behavior become rigid and consistently deviate from the expectations of one's society, consistently blunt one's social life and ability to function appropriately in society. Usually manifested before the age of 15 and persisting into adulthood.
Often the result of abusive or otherwise unstable home environments in childhood, as well as from heavy stress, if not with some influence of genetic predisposition.
The three main clusters of personality disorders are:
A (odd)
*paranoid personality disorder (irrationally suspicious and mistrustful)
*schizoid personality disorder (uninterested in socializing or pleasure)
*schizotypal personality disorder (odd behavior/odd thoughts)
B (dramatic)
*antisocial personality disorder (disregard for laws and for the feelings of others)
*histrionic personality disorder (attention-seeking exhibitionist)
*borderline personality disorder (extreme "black and white" thinking and emotional instability)
*narcissistic personality disorder (grandiose and lacking empathy)
C (anxious)
*avoidant personality disorder (shy, insecure, and highly sensitive)
*dependent personality disorder (psychological dependence on others)
*obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (rigid conformity to rules, morality, and orderliness)
Often the result of abusive or otherwise unstable home environments in childhood, as well as from heavy stress, if not with some influence of genetic predisposition.
The three main clusters of personality disorders are:
A (odd)
*paranoid personality disorder (irrationally suspicious and mistrustful)
*schizoid personality disorder (uninterested in socializing or pleasure)
*schizotypal personality disorder (odd behavior/odd thoughts)
B (dramatic)
*antisocial personality disorder (disregard for laws and for the feelings of others)
*histrionic personality disorder (attention-seeking exhibitionist)
*borderline personality disorder (extreme "black and white" thinking and emotional instability)
*narcissistic personality disorder (grandiose and lacking empathy)
C (anxious)
*avoidant personality disorder (shy, insecure, and highly sensitive)
*dependent personality disorder (psychological dependence on others)
*obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (rigid conformity to rules, morality, and orderliness)
"Insanity can be cured. Personality disorders are so inextricably entwined with the heart and mind and soul that it is well-nigh impossible to excise them."
-Ann Rule, "Small Sacrifices" page 442
It is preferable to be crazy, since "crazy" can be treated; the conscience can't grow back for the sociopath (antisocial personality), the histrionic can't leave center stage, the narcissist can't leave the mirror, and the borderline personality mainly thinks in "black and white" terms.
-Ann Rule, "Small Sacrifices" page 442
It is preferable to be crazy, since "crazy" can be treated; the conscience can't grow back for the sociopath (antisocial personality), the histrionic can't leave center stage, the narcissist can't leave the mirror, and the borderline personality mainly thinks in "black and white" terms.
personality disorder by Lorelili December 11, 2011
immoral
And adjective relating to behavior that is wrong, unethical; disregard for the conscience or moral compass.
Caligula delighted in the immoral pleasures of incest with his sisters, torture and murder of prisoners and slaves, the rapes of the wives and daughters of wealthy Romans, desecration of sacred buildings, and generally violating the rights of his people.
Israel, through tampering with information and manipulating the public, has oppressed the Palestinians and made their lives miserable for the sake of a "Jewish homeland"; such a policy sounds perversely immoral and counterproductive.
Israel, through tampering with information and manipulating the public, has oppressed the Palestinians and made their lives miserable for the sake of a "Jewish homeland"; such a policy sounds perversely immoral and counterproductive.