Excitement's Crave

[Brad]

Mar 31, 2014 17:54:58 GMT Agent99 aka Sandia said:

Mar 31, 2014 0:04:46 GMT playinem said:

Prior to 1979 (I believe?) Italians were classified as a non-white minority. Also, like the Irish they had to deal with the stigma of being predominantly Catholic in what was more of a white, anglo-saxon and Protestant world in those days. They also have perhaps the largest stereotype brand of criminality in American society as much from Hollywood (The Godfather, Goodfellas, Sopranos, etc.) as reality. Now though, I don't think they are viewed as being anything but mostly assimilated mainstream Americans.

Playinem,  I am ashamed to say that I am a watcher of  the "Real Housewives" series on t.v..  The Real Housewives of New Jersey is unfortunately not helping the stereotype.  Brawls, table flipping, etc.

I think we humans tend to not like ANYBODY that is not exactly like us (except me of course, I like everyone, lol).  Different religion, nationality etc.  I think every group that has come to this country has encountered discrimination, like you mentioned, the Irish, Italians, Jews, Chinese, Mexicans, Blacks etc.  Archie Bunker has a name for every group, LOL.  It seems once they assimilate and blend in with American dress, accent, culture the discrimination starts to dissipate.   The more different they are the more discrimination.  At least that's the way I perceive it.

Here is New Jersey in action, enjoy (kind of enjoy, in a guilty type of enjoyment, lol):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrwXA4aHYkA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=See7PfwFpQc

I won't post more but there are even more New Jersey brawls.  It's bad!  Once couple is currently in the news and probably going to prison.

Obviously I'm not Italian or I would hide this!  and to be fair all of the housewives series is one big argument from Beverly Hills to Orange County to New York.  They are wealthy socialites but what a bunch of back biting vipers, however no matter, none can compare to the physical violence of New Jersey.

Hope I'm not offending, of course the majority of Italians are not like this group.

Sandia is literally one of the nicest people I have ever met.

I just felt compelled to share that.

[playinem]

And I can honestly say that Sandia is one of the nicest people I have NEVER met. As of course, you Brad are as well.

[Agent99 aka Sandia]

Mar 31, 2014 18:14:21 GMT Brad said:

Mar 31, 2014 17:54:58 GMT Agent99 aka Sandia said:

Playinem,  I am ashamed to say that I am a watcher of  the "Real Housewives" series on t.v..  The Real Housewives of New Jersey is unfortunately not helping the stereotype.  Brawls, table flipping, etc.

I think we humans tend to not like ANYBODY that is not exactly like us (except me of course, I like everyone, lol).  Different religion, nationality etc.  I think every group that has come to this country has encountered discrimination, like you mentioned, the Irish, Italians, Jews, Chinese, Mexicans, Blacks etc.  Archie Bunker has a name for every group, LOL.  It seems once they assimilate and blend in with American dress, accent, culture the discrimination starts to dissipate.   The more different they are the more discrimination.  At least that's the way I perceive it.

Here is New Jersey in action, enjoy (kind of enjoy, in a guilty type of enjoyment, lol):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrwXA4aHYkA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=See7PfwFpQc

I won't post more but there are even more New Jersey brawls.  It's bad!  Once couple is currently in the news and probably going to prison.

Obviously I'm not Italian or I would hide this!  and to be fair all of the housewives series is one big argument from Beverly Hills to Orange County to New York.  They are wealthy socialites but what a bunch of back biting vipers, however no matter, none can compare to the physical violence of New Jersey.

Hope I'm not offending, of course the majority of Italians are not like this group.

Sandia is literally one of the nicest people I have ever met.

I just felt compelled to share that.

Hey Brad, thank you for that.  You made my day.  But just to remind you we have never actually met, LOL, LOL, LOL 

[Agent99 aka Sandia]

Mar 31, 2014 18:20:46 GMT playinem said:

And I can honestly say that Sandia is one of the nicest people I have NEVER met. As of course, you Brad are as well.

Wow, thank you to my many fans, ha ha.  I'm floating on air! 

[Deleted]

The kindness of Sandia is matched only by the patience of Port in answering questions.

[lepke]

You forgot to mention my good looks

[armchair]

Mar 29, 2014 14:36:34 GMT cityofchill said:

I've actually been reading the poem over and over, spending some time with it, and I have to say it's actually a pretty clever little thing and offers tremendous insight into the offender's worldview. I do believe the EAR/ONS wrote it. I cannot explain why, but I feel it. I mean, I could explain it, but I don't feel that the poem of a rapist/murderer deserves to have a short essay written about it.

What I will say is one should notice how this person makes no explicit mention of sex, lust, rape, etc. This person doesn't see or care about the pain they are causing. There is no feeling. It is simply excitement's crave for him - the choice made by this particular mortal who (unfortunately) survived his birth about the course his life would take....The malignant narcissist doesn't see why they should play by society's rules when that means denying themselves what they want. He is disconnected from the pain he is causing, concerned only with himself.

As for the writing of poetry and who can do it - I agree that it takes a certain amount of empathy and insightfulness to write good poetry. But anyone can write poetry about themselves, especially the narcissist who believes his own development is more important than that of his victims. 

Co'C,  your analysis was incisive and very useful. 

-I notice the tone of the first 3/4 of the poem is coldly philosophical and detached.  Notice how personal and pointed things become when "Sacramento should make an offer."
(ex. I count 3 my's)

-Sudden Terror p.264  "If this is on the T.V. or in the paper tomorrow, I'll kill two people."     Does this echo with the last line of the poem?


-The writer  feels he should be lauded for his criminal skill and anti-social bravado. He emphasizes achieving goals because HE executed HIS plans.  It's late and I might be reading into things, but I wonder if he feels insignificant everywhere else in his life.  I guess I'm sensing an over compensation...

[Agent99 aka Sandia]

That is an interesting observation, Armchair. But while he is doesn't use me, my, I at the beginning, I think it is clear it is all about him. He's saying that what people usually do but he is "selecting a route" that will unmask his character and his plans take action. Most people go along with accepted society and get a fixed pay check and expect raises and live their lives with decorum and what is the accepted social norm. Here is the part where I take a lot of notice: "Achieving while others lifting should be cause for deserving fame." I think that is a big clue. He achieves while others do the grunt work. This seems to be the thinking of an "entrepreneur". It seems like he has employees. This could account for his free time to do all his reconnaissance. Many have thought he must have been unemployed but I am thinking he had some business where he accepted jobs for employees who did the actual work. He made the profit and paid his employees a salary and he felt very smart about it and of course I think that is smart. (must put in the obligatory statement, that it doesn't mean he wasn't a weird, lousy, creep) He goes on to say 'LEISURE TEMPTS EXCITEMENT SEEKING" so there you have it, he has a lot of time on his hands. There is a saying "Idleness is the Devil's Handiwork" wow, that seems to be so true here. He seems to go on admitting he wants fame. After all Jesse James has been seen by all and he mentions Son of Sam and then he says "SEE YOU IN THE PRESS OR ON TV" There you have it so clear. He wants fame.

Several other thoughts:

It seems once he crossed the line and became a murderer he realized that fame could be his undoing. He stopped seeking fame. He changed his M.O., removed ligatures, stopped using shoelaces. He wanted fame but was smart enough to know it could lead to his capture.

I believe he stopped offending or moved somewhere that he thought he could keep offending after DNA came out. This also indicates intelligence. He read the papers, he knew about the new technology, he knew the jig was up and he would be caught with the advent of DNA. At least this is my hunch.

The job, did he own his own business? Was he a painting contractor but did not do the painting himself? I think he may have been more than a supervisor, or a foreman. OR.....did he have did he have delusions of grandeur? Was he riding on his father's coattails. Was he the son of the owner and was he some spoiled, useless brat thinking he was all that but his father was actually the one who was the owner of the business.

I just think there are a lot of clues in that poem. Thanks for getting the wheels turning this morning, Armchair!

[Deleted]

Another addition to my ongoing analysis of this wretched poem....

I think that we have to read the line "Achieving while others lifting" figuratively, keeping in mind the overall theme of the poem. I don't think it should be read literally - people actually lifting something, doing a labour-intensive job while others do more remunerative jobs that do not require that kind of labour. I think we have to look at these lines in the context of the theme of choice, and the particular choice the writer has made - to shun society (those who play by the rules, who "lift") in favour of doing what he wants. In this offender's mind, he is doing something greater than everyone else when he commits his crimes, becoming immortal like Jesse James or Son of Sam. While others go about their hum-drum life doing their crappy jobs, suppressing all their urges and desires, he has freed himself from these constraints and thereby "achieved" something very special - freedom, immortality, infamy, "lore," a discussion board full of people who spend hours trying to figure him out; people whose lives are forever altered because he did what he did, who sleep with guns under their pillows, jump at shadows, feel apprehensive when they turn the light off at night before they go to bed. This is his achievement, and no matter how loathsome it is, it is quite remarkable. Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, he has achieved the fame he speaks of in the next line. Raping and murdering should not be a cause for deserving fame...but it is in our society. 

By making the choice to rape and kill he avoids the meaningless anonymity of society's lifters - those who do the right thing and always feel like they're missing out on something, then die knowing they will soon be forgotten regardless of how much money they earned or what job they did. His crimes have made him known - he is the EAR/ONS/GSK - and for a time he was God, the master of life and death, the decider of human fate. To us he is vile - the worst of the worst. But to him, his vileness is an achievement worth celebrating, a kind of fame worth seeking. After all, it's been over a hundred years since the murders in Whitechapel and there are thousands of websites dedicated to Jack the Ripper, not to mention the Zodiac and others of their ilk. Infamy will always outlast fame. Attila the Hun would tell you as much if he could speak. When the writer refers to himself as "Your East Area Rapist" he is happily acknowledging the title the media has given him - he knows that a title is more powerful, more lasting than a name could ever be. This is his achievement. Attila would agree. 

I think this is what he means when he says "Achieving while others lifting." The whole poem is about his choice to become the EAR. This line is indication that by doing so, he believes he has achieved far more than anyone else ever could by doing any job, no matter how much it pays. There is so much more I could write about this one line and how it relates to other lines in the poem, but like I said before...I just can't justify putting that kind of effort into the poem of a psychopathic killer and rapist, at least not in one sitting. I think there is a lot of insight to be gained through a close reading of the poem, but I can only manage it in small snatches. I thank the other posters who are also adding their interpretations and readings of the poem to this thread. I'll continue to add to my interpretation of the poem little-by-little. Maybe I'll start from the beginning and work my way through in future posts.

[tmacchallenger]

Apr 3, 2014 0:33:57 GMT cityofchill said:

Another addition to my ongoing analysis of this wretched poem....

I think that we have to read the line "Achieving while others lifting" figuratively, keeping in mind the overall theme of the poem. I don't think it should be read literally - people actually lifting something, doing a labour-intensive job while others do more remunerative jobs that do not require that kind of labour. I think we have to look at these lines in the context of the theme of choice, and the particular choice the writer has made - to shun society (those who play by the rules, who "lift") in favour of doing what he wants. In this offender's mind, he is doing something greater than everyone else when he commits his crimes, becoming immortal like Jesse James or Son of Sam. While others go about their hum-drum life doing their crappy jobs, suppressing all their urges and desires, he has freed himself from these constraints and thereby "achieved" something very special - freedom, immortality, infamy, "lore," a discussion board full of people who spend hours trying to figure him out; people whose lives are forever altered because he did what he did, who sleep with guns under their pillows, jump at shadows, feel apprehensive when they turn the light off at night before they go to bed. This is his achievement, and no matter how loathsome it is, it is quite remarkable. Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, he has achieved the fame he speaks of in the next line. Raping and murdering should not be a cause for deserving fame...but it is in our society. 

By making the choice to rape and kill he avoids the meaningless anonymity of society's lifters - those who do the right thing and always feel like they're missing out on something, then die knowing they will soon be forgotten regardless of how much money they earned or what job they did. His crimes have made him known - he is the EAR/ONS/GSK - and for a time he was God, the master of life and death, the decider of human fate. To us he is vile - the worst of the worst. But to him, his vileness is an achievement worth celebrating, a kind of fame worth seeking. After all, it's been over a hundred years and there are thousands of websites dedicated to Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac, and others of their ilk. Infamy will always outlast fame. Attila the Hun would tell you as much if he could speak. When the writer refers to himself as "Your East Area Rapist" he is happily acknowledging the title the media has given him - he knows that a title is more powerful, more lasting than a name could ever be. This is his achievement. Attila would agree. 

I think this is what he means when he says "Achieving while others lifting." The whole poem is about his choice to become the EAR. This line is indication that by doing so, he believes he has achieved far more than anyone else ever could by doing any job, no matter how much it pays. There is so much more I could write about this one line and how it relates to other lines in the poem, but like I said before...I just can't justify putting that kind of effort into the poem of a psychopathic killer and rapist, at least not in one sitting. I think there is a lot of insight to be gained through a close reading of the poem, but I can only manage it in small snatches. I thank the other posters who are also adding their interpretations and readings of the poem to this thread. I'll continue to add to my interpretation of the poem little-by-little. Maybe I'll start from the beginning and work my way through in future posts.

What's your opinion on why he didn't write anymore taunting poems or letters after his crimes escalated into murder? Great post. Can't say I disagree with that awesome assessment.

[Deleted]

Apr 3, 2014 4:20:57 GMT tmacchallenger said:

Apr 3, 2014 0:33:57 GMT cityofchill said:

Another addition to my ongoing analysis of this wretched poem....

I think that we have to read the line "Achieving while others lifting" figuratively, keeping in mind the overall theme of the poem. I don't think it should be read literally - people actually lifting something, doing a labour-intensive job while others do more remunerative jobs that do not require that kind of labour. I think we have to look at these lines in the context of the theme of choice, and the particular choice the writer has made - to shun society (those who play by the rules, who "lift") in favour of doing what he wants. In this offender's mind, he is doing something greater than everyone else when he commits his crimes, becoming immortal like Jesse James or Son of Sam. While others go about their hum-drum life doing their crappy jobs, suppressing all their urges and desires, he has freed himself from these constraints and thereby "achieved" something very special - freedom, immortality, infamy, "lore," a discussion board full of people who spend hours trying to figure him out; people whose lives are forever altered because he did what he did, who sleep with guns under their pillows, jump at shadows, feel apprehensive when they turn the light off at night before they go to bed. This is his achievement, and no matter how loathsome it is, it is quite remarkable. Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, he has achieved the fame he speaks of in the next line. Raping and murdering should not be a cause for deserving fame...but it is in our society. 

By making the choice to rape and kill he avoids the meaningless anonymity of society's lifters - those who do the right thing and always feel like they're missing out on something, then die knowing they will soon be forgotten regardless of how much money they earned or what job they did. His crimes have made him known - he is the EAR/ONS/GSK - and for a time he was God, the master of life and death, the decider of human fate. To us he is vile - the worst of the worst. But to him, his vileness is an achievement worth celebrating, a kind of fame worth seeking. After all, it's been over a hundred years and there are thousands of websites dedicated to Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac, and others of their ilk. Infamy will always outlast fame. Attila the Hun would tell you as much if he could speak. When the writer refers to himself as "Your East Area Rapist" he is happily acknowledging the title the media has given him - he knows that a title is more powerful, more lasting than a name could ever be. This is his achievement. Attila would agree. 

I think this is what he means when he says "Achieving while others lifting." The whole poem is about his choice to become the EAR. This line is indication that by doing so, he believes he has achieved far more than anyone else ever could by doing any job, no matter how much it pays. There is so much more I could write about this one line and how it relates to other lines in the poem, but like I said before...I just can't justify putting that kind of effort into the poem of a psychopathic killer and rapist, at least not in one sitting. I think there is a lot of insight to be gained through a close reading of the poem, but I can only manage it in small snatches. I thank the other posters who are also adding their interpretations and readings of the poem to this thread. I'll continue to add to my interpretation of the poem little-by-little. Maybe I'll start from the beginning and work my way through in future posts.

What's your opinion on why he didn't write anymore taunting poems or letters after his crimes escalated into murder? Great post. Can't say I disagree with that awesome assessment. 

That's a good question and one I cannot answer. I think all that can really be said is that he didn't get off on writing taunting letters to the police and media like some other killers have. This one poem was kind of his statement to the world and maybe a test to see how it made him feel, and after it was sent he didn't feel the need to send any more because there was nothing left to say. I think the crimes themselves were a more satisfying way for him to taunt police and the public. The crimes, the phone calls, the burglaries; him remaining just out of reach. I think that's what got him off. Killers like Zodiac clearly enjoyed toying with the police and public by writing letters, but not this guy so much. He had other ways of feeling powerful and in control. 

[northernjustice]

The majority of the poem seem to be general observations about society and this person's perceived role of himself in society. I wouldn't take any of it as an indication about the type of work he does or anything else that is particularly personal, more general reflection if anything.

The most interesting line to me is the one about a "planned exile". The planned exile could mean two, maybe three different things:

- First, and this would be the most telling, is that the GSK was planning on eventually stopping and going into exile, which to the best of our knowledge is exactly what he ended up doing. I tend to lean toward this interpretation, that he knew even then, somehow, that he would eventually stop the crimes.

- The other most likely one is that the "planned exile" would be getting caught and going to prison. Given some of the bravado the GSK showed, however weird it was at times (and this poem being just another example of that weird bravado), I don't think he planned on getting caught and going to prison, so this interpretation is less likely than the first one to me.

- The third possible interpretation would be his death, which could certainly be described as a "planned exile", but that doesn't make sense when you look at the context, in particular the part about paying for the planned exile.

As for the wife of a "Mafia lord" line, it's also fascinating, and I think fits in with the bravado I'm talking about. "Just now" could mean that despite all of the movie and exile talk, all he desires for the time being is to challenge himself by going for even more difficult victims, and the most difficult would indeed be a Mafia lord's wife. Keep in mind the Godfather had come out a number of years earlier and there was a lot of hype in the media at the time about Mafia bosses and that type of thing.

[armchair]

Apr 3, 2014 0:33:57 GMT cityofchill said:

Another addition to my ongoing analysis of this wretched poem....

I think that we have to read the line "Achieving while others lifting" figuratively, keeping in mind the overall theme of the poem. I don't think it should be read literally - people actually lifting something, doing a labour-intensive job while others do more remunerative jobs that do not require that kind of labour. I think we have to look at these lines in the context of the theme of choice, and the particular choice the writer has made - to shun society (those who play by the rules, who "lift") in favour of doing what he wants. In this offender's mind, he is doing something greater than everyone else when he commits his crimes, becoming immortal like Jesse James or Son of Sam. While others go about their hum-drum life doing their crappy jobs, suppressing all their urges and desires, he has freed himself from these constraints and thereby "achieved" something very special - freedom, immortality, infamy, "lore,"  ...  This is his achievement, and no matter how loathsome it is, it is quite remarkable. Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, he has achieved the fame he speaks of in the next line. Raping and murdering should not be a cause for deserving fame...but it is in our society. 

I think this is what he means when he says "Achieving while others lifting." The whole poem is about his choice to become the EAR. This line is indication that by doing so, he believes he has achieved far more than anyone else ever could by doing any job, no matter how much it pays. There is so much more I could write about this one line and how it relates to other lines in the poem, but like I said before..

Co'C, another great analysis and insight into the poem.  I completely agree with you on the figurative meaning of the line "Achieving while others lifting."   Still, there might be something to Sandia's point so let me go down that Rabbit Hole(TM):

To me, it all hinges on the word "lifting" because it sticks out like a sore thumb. I think it's an odd word choice that most people wouldn't think to use.  (It'd be interesting to have our friends and family fill in "Achieving while others _____.")  

Doesn't the "Achieving" line try to show oppositions. He is demonstrating his uniqueness: what he is doing while we are all doing it's opposite.  I would expect to see a word like reaching, failing, toiling, or sleeping. For a poem that is so on-the-nose literal, this is where he gets the most creative and metaphorical?

We think he sprinkled actual details of his thoughts and crimes with "planned exile" and "mafia wife."   I argue "lifting" was a biographical clue that was uncon/consciously added.

[Deleted]

Apr 4, 2014 0:52:41 GMT armchair said:

Apr 3, 2014 0:33:57 GMT cityofchill said:

Another addition to my ongoing analysis of this wretched poem....

I think that we have to read the line "Achieving while others lifting" figuratively, keeping in mind the overall theme of the poem. I don't think it should be read literally - people actually lifting something, doing a labour-intensive job while others do more remunerative jobs that do not require that kind of labour. I think we have to look at these lines in the context of the theme of choice, and the particular choice the writer has made - to shun society (those who play by the rules, who "lift") in favour of doing what he wants. In this offender's mind, he is doing something greater than everyone else when he commits his crimes, becoming immortal like Jesse James or Son of Sam. While others go about their hum-drum life doing their crappy jobs, suppressing all their urges and desires, he has freed himself from these constraints and thereby "achieved" something very special - freedom, immortality, infamy, "lore,"  ...  This is his achievement, and no matter how loathsome it is, it is quite remarkable. Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, he has achieved the fame he speaks of in the next line. Raping and murdering should not be a cause for deserving fame...but it is in our society. 

I think this is what he means when he says "Achieving while others lifting." The whole poem is about his choice to become the EAR. This line is indication that by doing so, he believes he has achieved far more than anyone else ever could by doing any job, no matter how much it pays. There is so much more I could write about this one line and how it relates to other lines in the poem, but like I said before..

Co'C, another great analysis and insight into the poem.  I completely agree with you on the figurative meaning of the line "Achieving while others lifting."   Still, there might be something to Sandia's point so let me go down that Rabbit Hole(TM):

To me, it all hinges on the word "lifting" because it sticks out like a sore thumb. I think it's an odd word choice that most people wouldn't think to use.  (It'd be interesting to have our friends and family fill in "Achieving while others _____.")  

Doesn't the "Achieving" line try to show oppositions. He is demonstrating his uniqueness: what he is doing while we are all doing it's opposite.  I would expect to see a word like reaching, failing, toiling, or sleeping. For a poem that is so on-the-nose literal, this is where he gets the most creative and metaphorical?

We think he sprinkled actual details of his thoughts and crimes with "planned exile" and "mafia wife."   I argue "lifting" was a biographical clue that was uncon/consciously added.

I think you make an interesting point, and there is certainly more than one way of looking at the poem and interpreting it. The point about "lifting" could definitely be biographical, but what does it really tell us? That people around him are doing grunt work while he takes it easy? That might well be the case, but it doesn't give us anything substantial about what type of grunt work or what kind of field he might be in. Personally, I can't separate the word from the larger context of the poem, and I think he views most jobs as grunt jobs, including his own - it's just a way of getting paid. What really makes him special (in his eyes) is what he does outside of work. For him, success is not measured in money or employment - it's about having the will to go against society's expectations, to chase the need for excitement in a way that satiates his desires and gives him tremendous power over people. What he does is revolting to most of us, but that doesn't matter to him - he's made his choice and is fine with it.

Furthermore, in learning about this guy I've found many instances where he uses unusual vocab choices. I agree that "lifting" is an interesting word choice, but there could be so many reasons for it. For me, I can't even begin to speculate on the significance of the word on its own - the possibilities are just too numerous (but I think it's good some people are ready and willing to go down the rabbit hole and probe deeper). I only feel comfortable gleaning general clues about the poem's meaning by looking at how its pieces fit together. As a result, I can't really attach too much significance to a single word because it only makes sense in context. Also, we really know next-to-nothing about this perp. If we did, maybe words like "lifting" would make more sense. Even the phrase "excitement's crave" is strange, the grammar very unusual. Same with his pairing of "decorum" and "lore." The two don't really have anything to do with each other, but he speaks of them as if they go together. My impression is that he really is an amateur who is trying to use interesting words and sometimes the effect is just strange, while other times it can be revealing. And sometimes it just is what it is - him using a word out-of-context because he doesn't totally understanding its meaning and usage, or couldn't think of a better choice. Yeats, he is not. But I think that interesting aspects of his personality and worldview can be gathered from a close reading of the poem, which is why I'm even bothering with it.

Thank-you armchair for your contributions. I look forward to reading more about your take on the poem and any comments you might have on my posts about it. In turn, I will comment on your comments and between all of us we might be able to submit an entry to Norton's next anthology of American literature and have Excitement's Crave added to the Serial Killer section along with our interpretations. 

[armchair]

www.livescience.com/16585-psychopaths-speech-language.html

NEW YORK — Psychopaths are known to be wily and manipulative, but even so, they unconsciously betray themselves, according to scientists who have looked for patterns in convicted murderers' speech as they described their crimes.

The researchers interviewed 52 convicted murderers, 14 of them ranked as psychopaths according to the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, a 20-item assessment, and asked them to describe their crimes in detail. Using computer programs to analyze what the men said, the researchers found that those with psychopathic scores showed a lack of emotion, spoke in terms of cause-and-effect when describing their crimes, and focused their attention on basic needs, such as food, drink and money.


While we all have conscious control over some words we use, particularly nouns and verbs, this is not the case for the majority of the words we use, including little, functional words like "to" and "the" or the tense we use for our verbs, according to Jeffrey Hancock, the lead researcher and an associate professor in communications at Cornell University, who discussed the work on Monday (Oct. 17) in Midtown Manhattan at Cornell's ILR Conference Center.

"The beautiful thing about them is they are unconsciously produced," Hancock said.

These unconscious actions can reveal the psychological dynamics in a speaker's mind even though he or she is unaware of it, Hancock said.

What it means to be a psychopath

Psychopaths make up about 1 percent of the general population and as much as 25 percent of male offenders in federal correctional settings, according to the researchers. Psychopaths are typically profoundly selfish and lack emotion. "In lay terms, psychopaths seem to have little or no 'conscience,'" write the researchers in a study published online in the journal Legal and Criminological Psychology.

Psychopaths are also known for being cunning and manipulative, and they make for perilous interview subjects, according to Michael Woodworth, one of the authors and a psychologist who studies psychopathy at the University of British Columbia, who joined the discussion by phone.

"It is unbelievable," Woodworth said. "You can spend two or three hours and come out feeling like you are hypnotized."

While there are reasons to suspect that psychopaths' speech patterns might have distinctive characteristics, there has been little study of it, the team writes.

How words give them away

To examine the emotional content of the murderers' speech, Hancock and his colleagues looked at a number of factors, including how frequently they described their crimes using the past tense. The use of the past tense can be an indicator of psychological detachment, and the researchers found that the psychopaths used it more than the present tense when compared with the nonpsychopaths. They also found more dysfluencies — the "uhs" and "ums" that interrupt speech — among psychopaths. Nearly universal in speech, dysfluencies indicate that the speaker needs some time to think about what they are saying.

With regard to psychopaths, "We think the 'uhs' and 'ums' are about putting the mask of sanity on," Hancock told LiveScience.

Psychopaths appear to view the world and others instrumentally, as theirs for the taking, the team, which also included Stephen Porter from the University of British Columbia, wrote.

As they expected, the psychopaths' language contained more words known as subordinating conjunctions. These words, including "because" and "so that," are associated with cause-and-effect statements.

"This pattern suggested that psychopaths were more likely to view the crime as the logical outcome of a plan (something that 'had' to be done to achieve a goal)," the authors write.

And finally, while most of us respond to higher-level needs, such as family, religion or spirituality, and self-esteem, psychopaths remain occupied with those needs associated with a more basic existence.

Their analysis revealed that psychopaths used about twice as many words related to basic physiological needs and self-preservation, including eating, drinking and monetary resources than the nonpsychopaths, they write.

By comparison, the nonpsychopathic murderers talked more about spirituality and religion and family, reflecting what nonpsychopathic people would think about when they just committed a murder, Hancock said.

The researchers are interested in analyzing what people write on Facebook or in other social media, since our unconscious mind also holds sway over what we write. By analyzing stories written by students from Cornell and the University of British Columbia, and looking at how the text people generate using social media relates to scores on the Self-Report Psychopathy scale. Unlike the checklist, which is based on an extensive review of the case file and an interview, the self report is completed by the person in question.

This sort of tool could be very useful for law enforcement investigations, such as in the case of the Long Island serial killer, who is being sought for the murders of at least four prostitutes and possibly others, since this killer used the online classified site Craigslist to contact victims, according to Hancock.

Text analysis software could be used to conduct a "first pass," focusing the work for human investigators, he said. "A lot of time analysts tell you they feel they are drinking from a fire hose."

Knowing a suspect is a psychopath can affect how law enforcement conducts investigations and interrogations, Hancock said.