I recently overheard a conversation between several hedge-find managers at my local caf. One of them, a young Turk, was making the case that they didn't deserve to be blamed for the current state of the economy. He argued that they had followed the law, taken risks, and been paid high returns. He contended that there would always be winners and losers in life, and invited his fellows to join him in a toast to success and to not being caught out when the walls come tumbling down.
And are these, then, the Players who claim victory in the great Game? Is it they who ultimately control our society in such a way as to fuel their personal profits and successes?
These are people who live in a world divided between black and white - between winners and losers. Grey is of no interest to them, and each is unashamedly out for himself. Despite this, they have about them an undeniable sense of group identity. They all dress in a similar style, wear their hair the same way, and conform to the rules of a world in which everything must be 'just so'.
What these hedge-fund managers represent is the combination of a linear mindset with a mob mentality and a narcissistic temperament. All three characteristics, taken in tandem, serve to reinforce each other. Thus linear thinking, which encourages a visualising of the world in terms of its constituent elements, rather than as a whole, prepares the way for narcissism. The less beholden we feel to a community, the easier it is to see things in terms merely of personal outlook and personal reward. In living our lives like this we come to assume that everyone else is only out for themselves too, a mindset which encourages us to react against them before they have chance to react against us. By adding in the tribal dimension - the mob mentality - we tend to act on the collective level, standing up for our own against anyone and everyone else. This causes escalation. On top of this, the tribes in question are made up of narcissists conditioned to stand up for their own interests, so tensions will be high and perpetually so. Individuals within the tribes will attempt either to manipulate one another for personal gain or to undermine one another for fear of competition.
These three elements - narcissism, linear thinking and the tribal paradigm - form the basis of the outlook shared by all of us in today's society. The relative importance of each may vary from one culture to another, but the ultimate outcome is the same.
Each member of the tribe is placed in a position where they must choose between two options, complicity and exile. Fear, rather than mutual respect, becomes the glue that binds the group together. An example of this is when a questionable act is committed, which furthers the interests of the group. In these situations, the security of each individual requires that everyone in the group be culpable for the act. If this is not the case, than those who are innocent become witnesses, and therefore mortal threats, to those who committed the crime.
This phenomenon found its expression famously in the conspiracy to murder Julius Caesar. When Caesar fell, his body bore wounds from the knives of each of the conspirators, meaning that all were responsible, and none could turn against the others. This principle has been applied throughout history, and is true of the political arena as of the gladiatorial, as true in the business world as in the schoolyard.
Once the tribe member has been allowed in to the inner sanctum of the tribe, the choice between complicity and exile is illusory. The insider, by definition, knows too much. They have seen the backstage machinations, which underpin the myth. Should they share what they know with those on the outside they could threaten the entire status quo. Given that the group is a collection of narcissists, for whom all others are merely means to their own personal ends, should someone become a threat they would not find it difficult to justify doing what ever it took to protect their security. Consequently, an insider who breaks rank and attempts to get out faces the spectre of almost certain annihilation. This principle applies to a Wall Street investment banker no less than to a mafia king pin.
It is even possible to argue that these same Players who are on the inside - who devote themselves to manipulating others for their own ends - are themselves being played in the cyclical drama of myth and counter-myth being played out in our society. Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern they consider themselves key players in a drama to which they are in fact ancillary - forever destined to be kept in the dark as to what's really going on. Even if the rest of us were to escape the illusory reality of The Game, the chances are they never will! - 30535
And are these, then, the Players who claim victory in the great Game? Is it they who ultimately control our society in such a way as to fuel their personal profits and successes?
These are people who live in a world divided between black and white - between winners and losers. Grey is of no interest to them, and each is unashamedly out for himself. Despite this, they have about them an undeniable sense of group identity. They all dress in a similar style, wear their hair the same way, and conform to the rules of a world in which everything must be 'just so'.
What these hedge-fund managers represent is the combination of a linear mindset with a mob mentality and a narcissistic temperament. All three characteristics, taken in tandem, serve to reinforce each other. Thus linear thinking, which encourages a visualising of the world in terms of its constituent elements, rather than as a whole, prepares the way for narcissism. The less beholden we feel to a community, the easier it is to see things in terms merely of personal outlook and personal reward. In living our lives like this we come to assume that everyone else is only out for themselves too, a mindset which encourages us to react against them before they have chance to react against us. By adding in the tribal dimension - the mob mentality - we tend to act on the collective level, standing up for our own against anyone and everyone else. This causes escalation. On top of this, the tribes in question are made up of narcissists conditioned to stand up for their own interests, so tensions will be high and perpetually so. Individuals within the tribes will attempt either to manipulate one another for personal gain or to undermine one another for fear of competition.
These three elements - narcissism, linear thinking and the tribal paradigm - form the basis of the outlook shared by all of us in today's society. The relative importance of each may vary from one culture to another, but the ultimate outcome is the same.
Each member of the tribe is placed in a position where they must choose between two options, complicity and exile. Fear, rather than mutual respect, becomes the glue that binds the group together. An example of this is when a questionable act is committed, which furthers the interests of the group. In these situations, the security of each individual requires that everyone in the group be culpable for the act. If this is not the case, than those who are innocent become witnesses, and therefore mortal threats, to those who committed the crime.
This phenomenon found its expression famously in the conspiracy to murder Julius Caesar. When Caesar fell, his body bore wounds from the knives of each of the conspirators, meaning that all were responsible, and none could turn against the others. This principle has been applied throughout history, and is true of the political arena as of the gladiatorial, as true in the business world as in the schoolyard.
Once the tribe member has been allowed in to the inner sanctum of the tribe, the choice between complicity and exile is illusory. The insider, by definition, knows too much. They have seen the backstage machinations, which underpin the myth. Should they share what they know with those on the outside they could threaten the entire status quo. Given that the group is a collection of narcissists, for whom all others are merely means to their own personal ends, should someone become a threat they would not find it difficult to justify doing what ever it took to protect their security. Consequently, an insider who breaks rank and attempts to get out faces the spectre of almost certain annihilation. This principle applies to a Wall Street investment banker no less than to a mafia king pin.
It is even possible to argue that these same Players who are on the inside - who devote themselves to manipulating others for their own ends - are themselves being played in the cyclical drama of myth and counter-myth being played out in our society. Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern they consider themselves key players in a drama to which they are in fact ancillary - forever destined to be kept in the dark as to what's really going on. Even if the rest of us were to escape the illusory reality of The Game, the chances are they never will! - 30535
About the Author:
John Berling Hardy helps people to level the playing field by giving them the edge which has been, till now, the exclusive domain of the rich and famous. For more of his writings please visit www.playingtheplayers.com
