From Asperger’s to narcissism and necrophilia

There’s that obvious lack of demonstrated empathy. As if he never even tried to care, choosing to ogle shiny cars over the nobler duty and responsibility to show sympathy and compassion amid profound grief caused by the stupidest exercise of patronage and partisanship that led to the death of the Mamasapano 44.

Empathy is important. It also has critical political dimensions. Recently, the governor of Albay shifted his support from the administration presidential candidate to Grace Poe-Llamanzares, whose platform theme was empathy. In Makati, under then-Mayor Jejomar Binay, empathy was the underlying impetus for its exemplary educational benefits, healthcare and welfare packages, all vital elements of economic inclusivity – a feat no administrative executive has yet equaled.

And then there is the pathetic absence of social skills and the inability to sustain nurturing interpersonal relationships substituting for these utilitarian camaraderie among “Kabarilan, kaklase and kaibigan.”

Through these dysfunctionalities and more, there is this distinct inability to consider the consequences of one’s actions, on one end, and on the other, an even graver inability to assume responsibilities for a growing list of fatal shortcomings.

To discern the relevance of mental health on economic governance, initially defining what Asperger’s Syndrome is, let’s mimic reverse engineering. Note that we started with the example of a political celebrity we suspect is afflicted and from there we noted behavior, matched symptoms and, finally, checked the fit between the example we know and the ailment we suspected.

The next affliction is not totally inseparable.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Syndrome (NPDS) despite its obvious highfaluting effect on those who’ve never heard of it, is self-explanatory. Recently, it’s also been brazenly evident.

It involves those who constantly see themselves as inordinately important. Without going into its clinical technicalities, it is easy to see through most of its nomenclature where this disorder is akin to the unhealthy self-importance, severe egoism and colossal vanity afflicting those who imagine themselves either God-sent or, worse, themselves being the Almighty, lording over life and death outside of judicial processes.

Think of the extrajudicial killings and the wild and incredible stories of penitents on their knees as they are summarily executed, all designed to inflate the egos of low-lifes afflicted with NPDS.

For those afflicted, morality is reduced to myopic self-interest. The afflicted know all the answers. Or at least, in their minds, within that vast universe of dark matter comprising a few short inches from ear to ear, they think they do. They do not listen to others. Save for little voices they hear in the barrenness of their colossal encephalitic heads, a personal cheering squad of pom-pom wielding bosomy bimbos who bestow upon their hosts the title of best, most virile and primus inter pares.

Arrogance and conceit are in there, too.

What is not there is accountability.

Vice President Jejomar Binay had used the term NPDS to describe what might seriously afflict a presidential candidate who recently, on two public occasions, stupidly expressed a deeply dark and demented desire to rape a Christian missionary then lying in front of him brutalized by multiple rape with her throat mercilessly slit open by other equally barbaric degenerates.

Vice President Binay’s rejoinder was in response to the disturbing refusal by the candidate now running for the highest, most powerful office in the land, to apologize. The candidate had simply shirked responsibility for his actuations and told those who were righteously incensed to just “shut up.”

If it were simply a question of warped narcissism, we’ve survived those before. Narcissism is part of Asperger’s. There is, however, sociopathic necrophilia where a cadaver to a narcissist becomes the object of sexual depravity and desire.

Heaven forbid that we, who might see a little of ourselves in such characters and find levity in the acts of these mentally challenged degenerates, eventually elect them president this May.