Teamwork suggestion: The definite introduction to psychopathy (video)

[Renaissance]

What I got done thus far of the EKG part of the movie has been uploaded - it can be seen by clicking here. I realize it may be a bit too fast towards the end, but that's easy to change. Comments/suggestions?

Awesome sHiZo! I love it. The rate of the heartbeat could depend on the emotional effect we want. I initially pictured a fairly slow beat, but a faster one could convey nervousness, which is a better fit for the terror of the situation. I'll work on putting sound to this part tonight so we can hear what it's like.

Edit: sHiZo or anyone else who would be able, could the EKG file that's saved as a swf be converted to a quicktime or avi file? I tried but I'm not familiar with flash enough or am missing something on my computer that's not letting me do it.

Also, I was wondering whether my "story board" idea was any good - what do you all think about that?

Perhaps you could elaborate a little more on the idea? I don't think Power Point needs to be used - a lot of people may not have that program either. A descriptive text should work fine, imo. I think if we use a story board, then the minuets and seconds of the song/s should be set as the base and the story line would then correspond to the lows, highs, beats, etc. of the music. That way the different parts that are made could come together with a good fit. osit.

also, i'm not a big fan of using the words 'political ponerology' in the very beginning of the movie - nobody outside this site has a clue what that means, and we should make the video as accessible as possible.

I think using the term 'Political Ponerology' is important for several reasons. For starters it gives credit to the information we are using. What's being presented is also new to people, and giving it a name so they can identify it is also useful, imo. Actually, if we are talking about accessibility to the truth, then NOT using the term is making truth less accessible. But I think you're using the term in the meaning of being accessible to the masses. And if this is done, a primary focus of truth is easily ponerized because we're trying to adapt to a ponerized mass, osit.

It also depends on the goal and the form of output we want - a service to others or a service to self. If we are running programs that are expressed in a result of our work, then our programs will be magnified and accessibility to the truth will be hampered. So in all our work, particularly the ones that may be distributed widely, a consideration of what our programs are and their effect on others and the effect on truth should hold a lot of weight.

This project is also going out of the bounds of past group work, which up to this point all such work has been for the members (except for the transcript project which was still under the SotT umbrella). So, this is going into new territory, and I don't think this is a bad thing but the aims of the forum still need to apply. If as a group, we're to step outside of the strategic enclosure, then I think we need to make sure our egos and intentions are in check. This seems a test of group development. The results are the groups results, and the esoteric return of the fruit will also be the groups.

Iconoclast, there seem to be several indications of some programs being run in your teamwork suggestion. One was your first sentence in the preamble to your script:

[this presentation is intended for a general audience and therefore doesn't mention subjects that are too controversial, that initiate an emotional shutdown/defense procedure - the goal is to keep their attention until the end]

This is quite similar to what you say here:

also, i'm not a big fan of using the words 'political ponerology' in the very beginning of the movie - nobody outside this site has a clue what that means, and we should make the video as accessible as possible.

Was the preamble designed in part to sway the use of the term 'Political Ponerology?' If so, that seems manipulative. The other odd thing that came up was that you didn't have any reference to the SotT website in your script - even though you are using the SotT forum for the project as well as using information that is the fruit of the SotT team's work. Was the preamble designed for this as well?

So, I think the focus on a 'general audience' may be distorting the work that needs to be done. I agree that these things should be made in a way is easily understandable, but part of the approach your seeking seems more like inner considering than external considering, fwiw.

I could be wrong in all this, but I wanted to bring it up as something that could be a possibility.

 

[Iconoclast]

[this presentation is intended for a general audience and therefore doesn't mention subjects that are too controversial, that initiate an emotional shutdown/defense procedure - the goal is to keep their attention until the end]

This is quite similar to what you say here:

also, i'm not a big fan of using the words 'political ponerology' in the very beginning of the movie - nobody outside this site has a clue what that means, and we should make the video as accessible as possible.

Was the preamble designed in part to sway the use of the term 'Political Ponerology?' If so, that seems manipulative. The other odd thing that came up was that you didn't have any reference to the SotT website in your script - even though you are using the SotT forum for the project as well as using information that is the fruit of the SotT team's work. Was the preamble designed for this as well?

So, I think the focus on a 'general audience' may be distorting the work that needs to be done. I agree that these things should be made in a way is easily understandable, but part of the approach your seeking seems more like inner considering than external considering, fwiw.

I could be wrong in all this, but I wanted to bring it up as something that could be a possibility.

i started the script with the expressed goal of bringing the concept of PSYCHOPATHY to as wide an audience as possible. i consider POLITICAL PONEROLOGY a sub-category of psychopathy.
when i first came upon this site and learned about psychopathy, it was like a lightbulb going off in my head - this was the simplest, most logical, most easily understandable explanation for the horrid state the world is in (and has been for millennia). what i loved about this explanation, was that it was not necessary to sort through piles of conspiracy-theories, which may or not be true and are very hard to prove to those self-proclaimed 'sceptics' out there. here was a simple explanation that made sense and the basic concept was explainable to the uninitiated with a few sentences.

and this is what counts - you can't expect the population at large to read books like 'political ponerology' - the vast majority have neither the time, interest or capacity to read this scientific book.
and it is not required! if most people on the planet just knew about psychopaths and their basic MO, it would take most power away from them.

and i think this should be our intent with this video - to make as many as possible aware of the basic concept of psychopathy. therefore it is necessary to use simple language and logic. those whose interest is peaked and who have the will and desire to investigate further will have no problem finding the necessary resources by the links and book-titles provided at the end of the video (and naturally it will also include a link to SOTT).
those who can't go further will at least have been exposed to the basics - it will be like a seed planted in their minds - the next time they see bush on TV talking about something horrible with this sick twinkle in his eye, they might make the connection.


maybe this is wishful thinking, but i think that many people who would NEVER believe in any conspiracy, no matter how well documented, might be inclined to consider something that is a medical fact like a certain percentage of people being psychopaths.


hope that clears it up for you.

 

[Iconoclast]

Some corrections:

science tells us
that approximately 6% of all people
are born with a genetic defect
that causes them to be psychopaths.

According to Lobaczewski 0.6% of people are born with a genetic defect that causes them to be psychopaths. The 6% includes other personality disorders and "characteropathies". The estimate for psychopathy in the states is about 1.5%. Higher estimates are probably a result of using a personality inventory that can apply to other personality disorders besides "essential" psychopathy.

does anyone have an idea how we could re-phrase the opening words so they are accurate while remaining short and attention grabbing?
i'm drawing a blank here. :(

 

[CarpeDiem]

Objective psychology estimates
That a tiny 0,6 % fraction of humans
Are born with genetic defect of psychopathy.
They DON’T POSSESS conscience,
They never feel empathy for any other human being,
They don’t know what it is – to feel a pain and despair of a human.
They never feel remorse and guilt for misfortunes
they have caused to humans [and humanity]
they live with NO conscience and NO empathy whatsoever
they live among us causing us endless suffering
and we DON’T NOTICE

 

[Approaching Infinity]

Some corrections:

science tells us
that approximately 6% of all people
are born with a genetic defect
that causes them to be psychopaths.

According to Lobaczewski 0.6% of people are born with a genetic defect that causes them to be psychopaths. The 6% includes other personality disorders and "characteropathies". The estimate for psychopathy in the states is about 1.5%. Higher estimates are probably a result of using a personality inventory that can apply to other personality disorders besides "essential" psychopathy.

does anyone have an idea how we could re-phrase the opening words so they are accurate while remaining short and attention grabbing?
i'm drawing a blank here. :(

Perhaps:

science tells us
that at least 1% of all people
are born with a genetic defect
etc

Might as well use the latest data (I think it's 1.35%, but nice round 1 or 1.5 is prettier), as America probably has a higher % of psychopaths than did Poland.

 

[herondancer]

and i think this should be our intent with this video - to make as many as possible aware of the basic concept of psychopathy. therefore it is necessary to use simple language and logic. those whose interest is peaked and who have the will and desire to investigate further will have no problem finding the necessary resources by the links and book-titles provided at the end of the video (and naturally it will also include a link to SOTT).
those who can't go further will at least have been exposed to the basics - it will be like a seed planted in their minds - the next time they see bush on TV talking about something horrible with this sick twinkle in his eye, they might make the connection.

maybe this is wishful thinking, but i think that many people who would NEVER believe in any conspiracy, no matter how well documented, might be inclined to consider something that is a medical fact like a certain percentage of people being psychopaths.

This was what I thought the intention of the video was too. As a kind of teaser on the subject, and for those who would follow up, the books at the end. FWIW I recommend PP to as many people as possible, but I also recommend reading several books of increasing complexity before it (Sheep's clothing, Sociapath Next Door, Without Conscience, PP). Reading this books in this order gives a foundation to comprehend Dr. L's work. PP is a tough go out right out of the gate.

As to how I can help, I'm in the "organizational skills, suggestions, and my eagle's eyes" category (thx Zadius!). I have some feel for an effective flow of images and dialogue (theatre background) eg, it just made more sense to have the "pyscho's stick together" section where I moved it.

The opening devised by sHiZo963 is terrific, and the suggestions for some of the text images are spot on. Too much vibrating text will give folks a headache, but it's a great start. Henry's article has some sections after "get me a sick bag" that would make some good dialogue screens. However, is this supposed to be a "trailer" sort of thing, or a full-on educational production?? It's another "what's the market?" question. Maybe consider this the first chapter in a series? Maybe a whole set of presentations illustrating different concepts from the book, ie. the Hysteroidal cycle without calling it that (roaring 20s leading to WWII), or another that explains and gives examples of conversive thinking and paramoralisms. Heck, 30 minutes of FOX news or a couple of episodes of Arrested Development should give a wealth of material! Kind of building a "toolkit" for recognizing and dealing with psychopaths.

Herondancer

 

[Renaissance]

Thanks for clarification Iconoclast. I think I was overshooting a bit, sorry about that - it's a recurring program of mine I need to work on.

I think the idea of this being a trailer for a series of chapters is also a great idea. A rough outline of these chapters could be:

- misconceptions in psychopathy (movie, failed psychopaths and ASPD) vs. their real place in society

- Types of psychopaths and their make up

- The psychopath's worldview and the 'mask of sanity' (to include ideology on the macrosocial scale?)

- Infection and hysteria

- Immunization

Modifications?

If the idea of chapters being made is used, perhaps outlines and then scripts for narration should be written.

I have some clips of hollywood and failed psychopaths; I'm working on putting them together in sections for the intro. I also have examples for the sound of the intro close to being done (which will be easily modified once the final text for the intro is determined and completed).

Some corrections:

science tells us
that approximately 6% of all people
are born with a genetic defect
that causes them to be psychopaths.

According to Lobaczewski 0.6% of people are born with a genetic defect that causes them to be psychopaths. The 6% includes other personality disorders and "characteropathies". The estimate for psychopathy in the states is about 1.5%. Higher estimates are probably a result of using a personality inventory that can apply to other personality disorders besides "essential" psychopathy.

does anyone have an idea how we could re-phrase the opening words so they are accurate while remaining short and attention grabbing?
i'm drawing a blank here. :(

I think we should frame it around the 6% number and hopefully we can utilize the effect sHiZo963 made which has different emphasis in place. I've been trying to think of something but haven't really come up with something that would seem to fit.

 

[sHiZo963]

Thanks for all the comments, everyone! I've been out of town the past few days and haven't been able to respond.

Yes, the end of the EKG thing I made in Flash is a bit too fast and overwhelming - this is easy to change. So is changing the 6% to 1% - and I can add more 'people' on the bottom to accommodate the new percentage.

However, the 6-10% IS important, as hkoehli pointed out. Yes, 1-1.5% are ESSENTIAL psychopaths, but 6-10% are directly ponerized in a society because of other disorders and 'characteropathies'. According to Henry's article, as much as 25% of a contemporary society are involved in ponerogenesis:

Look at the following figure.

The horizontal line represents society as a whole, mapped out between two poles: those Without Conscience and those With Conscience. Consider society as made up of individuals spread out on the continuum between those who, on the one had, have no conscience, and those who are able to live their lives based completely on conscience. The vast majority of the population falls between the two.

Consider the two poles as being centres of gravity, attracting people to them.

Now let's play with it a bit.

The various pathological types that make up what we call the pathocracy are represented by the red line on the left. These are the four to six percent of the population without conscience. Next to them are those who are most easily influenced by them, people whose conscience, if it is ever active, extends to their family and maybe a few friends. They will place their own needs and desires over that of society as a whole. They will seek comfort over justice and personal success over the social good.

In a pathocracy, the six percent have the majority of the important positions of power. Because of this, the 17 or so percent who are easily influenceable will give them their support in exchange for a comfortable life.

In the world today, it is the left pole that determines the environment in which we live. The values of society emanate from it, the ideas of what is socially acceptable come from it. The programming on television, in the movies, in books and music, in anything that is treated as "culture" in a capitalist economy, all of that emanates from the pole of the conscienceless. Power accrues from the left to the right on the scale. If you imagine the line placed on a pivot point in the middle that allowed us to compare the weight of the power and influence of the two poles, it is obvious that the left pole dominates. Society is weighted towards a lack of conscience.

We could say that conscience, at the moment, exists as an idea, nothing more. It has no weight in reality. It exists in potential. For it to come into existence, there must be individuals who put their conscience into practice. They must act on conscience. Its manifestations at the moment are sporadic and individual. There is no coherence.

That is the environment in which we live. If you wish to understand how we are influenced by evil, it is the fact of the existence of the pole of the conscienceless that you must understand. It is the existence of this pole that explains the horrors of human history, not some incurable or permanent predatorial nature at the heart of every human being.

So, we have three numbers to play with here: 1-1.5%, 6-10%, 25%. This gives me an idea for an expansion to what I already have. It goes off the script a bit, but deals directly with the above. I'll have a sample of that up once I make it.

Edit: From the Cassiopedia entry on Psychopathy:

Prevalence of Psychopathy

Estimates of the prevalence of any disorder of course depend on how the disorder is defined, how it is assessed, who is doing the assessment and why. Obviously, if there are political reasons to conceal the prevalence of psychopathy (i.e., that there are psychopaths in positions of political power, to which they gravitate naturally and have the skills to achieve), then the definition and assessment will be designed to utilize the category for political reasons.

In a recent paper, [30] the authors state:

Psychopathy, as originally conceived by Cleckley (1941), is not limited to engagement in illegal activities, but rather encompasses such personality characteristics as manipulativeness, insincerity, egocentricity, and lack of guilt - characteristics clearly present in criminals but also in spouses, parents, bosses, attorneys, politicians, and CEOs, to name but a few. (Bursten, 1973; Stewart, 1991). Our own examination of the prevalence of psychopathy within a university population suggested that perhaps 5% or more of this sample might be deemed psychopathic, although the vast majority of those will be male (more than 1/10 males versus approximately 1/100 females).

So I guess 5% is about right, if you assume a certain 'definition' of psychopathy. In this case, it's not PP that's stating it, but rather recent (2001) psychological research. I guess I'll stick with this number... and expand on the 25% above. It is an intro video, after all.
// end edit

However, I'm still confused on what the correct wording should be. Have we decided on keeping 'Political Ponerology' or should I change it to simply 'psychology' or 'objective science'?

Finally, let me explain this 'story board' idea of mine. Originally in post #23 I wrote this:

Perhaps a good way to plan this out would be to create a story board using PowerPoint slides? That way we can divide the project into sections, as needed, and have a preliminary look at how the final product might 'flow' from one section to another.

What I mean by the above is simply to arrange the script that we have into visually separate 'slides' (like in PowerPoint). That way, we can add rough image, animation, and transition suggestions that can be better visualized - kind of like a comic book. Especially now, since we are thinking of doing a whole series of these introductory films (which I think is a great idea, btw!), this sort of organization could be helpful to all those involved in the project. FWIW, I got this idea from a friend who is currently in graphic design school - this is what they do to 'plan' their animated films.

I have some clips of hollywood and failed psychopaths; I'm working on putting them together in sections for the intro. I also have examples for the sound of the intro close to being done (which will be easily modified once the final text for the intro is determined and completed).

Great! Let me know whenever you get this done. Video files can be easily embedded into Flash, after which I can add cool-looking text animation and other effects. I'll also be needing good-quality images of some of the other parts in the script.

 

[domi]

Hi all,

I was just thinking that it would be nice to show the cover of the books that are going to be recommend as reading. I am visual myself and I know it would help me - if I were new to the subject matter - to have seen the books I was supposed to read. They would be easier to find in a bookstore or online since many websites use thumbnail images of items for sale.

Dominique

 

[sHiZo963]

Okay, I made a few adjustments and additions to the EKG intro thing. It can be seen at the same location under the same name - if it doesn't show up 'new' then you might have to delete your browser cache and reload the page. Let me know what you all think!

Edit: BTW, all 'wording' and 'timing' can easily be changed. Also, I might as well repost the link to it: click here to see it. :)

 

[Iconoclast]

good work, sHiZo963!
love the figures representing the percentage!


is there a general consensus on which number we should use now - 1%? 5%? 6%?

i like the thing about how 20% are 'easily influenced' but i would re-phrase it, since we are pretty much all influenced by them weather we want to or not.

how about
'20% are easily seduced into imitating them'

(maybe with a pic/clip of some stupid kid on youtube doing something psychopathic? or a headline from a paper about 'homeless beatings increase' or something like that?)


and maybe we should use absolute numbers at some point in the video?

something like (feel free to re-phrase it):


1% of all people are essential psychopaths

1% of 6,5 billion means there are 65 million psychopaths among us!

does that sound like enough to rule the world to you?!


dunno where to put it in the timeline though.

it would be great if someone with good editorial skills could post an updated version of the script.
i'm kinda low on inspiration & time here... ;)

 

[Zadius Sky]

I was just thinking that it would be nice to show the cover of the books that are going to be recommend as reading. I am visual myself and I know it would help me - if I were new to the subject matter - to have seen the books I was supposed to read.

When I read your post, domivr, I was seeing in my head a big movie screen - hearing the music come to low, then watching first the title (of the book), then come the cover (of the book), then explosion to the scenes that are related to the context of the book mentioned while the quote of the same book is voiced by a voiceover (with a deep voice of James Earl Jones).

--
For example:

-music low-
then
-heartbeat-
the audience will see "Mask of Sanity" coming at them (like from Superman movies)
-then, the cover of the book, and
-during the viewing of the silent scenes, a voiceover will say:
"What [a psychopath] believes he needs to protest against turns out to be no small group, no particular institution or set of ideologies, but human life itself. In it he seems to find nothing deeply meaningful or persistently stimulating, but only some transient and relatively petty pleasant caprices, a terribly repetitious series of minor frustrations, and ennui."
-music high-
then the next book, etc.
--

Thought I'd include that here. I don't know about James Earl Jones, though, heh.

 

[herondancer]

Good mods, sHiZo963. One thing, I feel that once you stabilize the text in the first part, it drags too long in shifting to the all red printing. The timing could be tightened up there a bit. The percentage bit about influence is a neat touch.

One thing that struck me with such an opening is someone sitting there and the first (well-programmed) thought in their head will be "That's impossible!" or "ridiculous", or even, "unkind" so help me. So the images/text immediately following have to keep that person from surfing on to more pleasant subjects. The Hollywood examples of I.'s script do that, but only by negatively countering the argument. It needs to be something more universal, maybe some of the article on "bad bosses" might do the trick. Some kind of way to show the "garden variety" psycho so they can say "Geez, I know someone just like that guy/gal."

I like the idea of a story board. I've seen them range from deliberately simple, to keep the door open to new ideas, to ones that every shot (it was a film) was carefully planned. The film came out almost precisely as drawn. Simple would be best imo, as a tool to arrange a logical, natural flow of concepts and images that we want to get across.

Herondancer

 

[Darren]

I've had a go at editing the script. No major changes, just reordering and changes to make the new layout flow. It's arranged around the following structure:

1. Introduction
2. Characteristics of psychopathy
3. Implications of psychopathy
4. Summary/Punchline(s)

I've not included the psychopathy percentages in the script. I thought perhaps they could be indicated or implied on sHiZo963's graphic.

Just some thoughts.

[VISUAL, AUDIO]
TEXT

[Black screen, silent]

[Black screen, heartbeat]

[Black screen, heartbeat]
Political Ponerology

[Black screen, heartbeat]
The Science of Evil in Politics

[Fade in EKG, heartbeat fades to EKG beeps]

[EKG and percentage graphic, EKG beeps]
A small percentage of the global population
are born with a genetic defect [anomaly?]

[EKG, EKG beeps]
A defect that goes unnoticed

[EKG, EKG beeps]

[EKG flatline, EKG flatline]

[EKG flatline, EKG flatline]
Psychopaths

[Black Screen, zoom-boom audio - begin music]

-------

[Black screen]
Psychopaths are able to do anything at all without conscience.

[Black Screen fades to clip of couples/groups]
Psychopaths experience no love

[clip of people crying, someone placing comforting arm around a child]
no empathy

[clip of someone apologizing]
no remorse

[fade in clips/pictures of war and death, state figures announcing war, examples of huge corporations acting innocent - smoking/oil-spills/contagion/etc.]
no guilt

[clips/pictures of war and death]
no fear

[fade to black screen]

[fade to scene of violence]
no conscience

[fade to black]

[black screen]
Psychopaths wear a "Mask Of Sanity".

[clip of person crying]
they can mimic emotional responses perfectly...
...without feeling anything.

[images of crowds of regular people]
they look like you and me.

[some stoney faced psychopathic politician]
but they are unable to feel...

[fade to black]

[fade to clip of brain, psychopath's MRI brain scan]
"Psychopaths have physical abnormalities in two key brain structures responsible for functions ranging from fear detection to information processing." - USC

[mundane picture of house or similar]
A psychopath's brain produces the SAME reaction
to this picture

[horrible picture of child torn apart by explosives]
as it does to THIS picture

[clip of patient being scanned/examined]
"They're wired differently than other people." - Adrian Raine, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience

{ [fade to black]
are you horrified?

Good.
It means you are human. } - Rewording? Good. You have a conscience.

[black screen]
"The world of normal people whom they hurt is incomprehensible and hostile to them." - Andrew M. Lobczewski , "Political Ponerology"

[Palestinian or Iraqi holding his/her dead child, 'those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere.' - Bush, Correspondents Dinner, with the crowd laughing]
"Natural human reactions strike them as strange, interesting, and even comical." - Andrew M. Lobczewski , "Political Ponerology"

[clip of psychopath, clip of racism in the US]
Psychopaths consider regular people a different species.

[a politician making eye contact with a fellow psychopath]
"They learn to recognize each other in a crowd as early as childhood" - Andrew M. Lobczewski , "Political Ponerology"

-------

[images/clips of bates, american psycho, hannibal lecter]
There are Hollywood psychopaths

[images of bundy, dahmer, manson]
there are serial killers

[clips of crowds]
and there are the real psychopaths among us

[clips of office workers]
detectable only by careful observation or medical examination.

[clips of society, consumerism]
In a psychopathic culture

[clips of wall street and people in power]
the psychopath rises to the top with ease

[clips of wall street and people in power]
gaining power without conscience or without a conscience, it's easy to gain power

[g8 summit pic, corporate board pic, military leaders pic]
these psychopaths will work together to further their goal...

[Clips of crowd in the street going about their business, people voting]
while the world, lacking an understanding of their nature

[extended montage of war, tyrants, explosions, assassinations, death, etc.]
remains their prey.

[fade to black]

-------

[fade in pics/clips of pharaoes, nero, caligula, popes, henry VIII, other brutal dictators etc.]
This genetic defect has existed throughout human existence

<sound of the ticks of a metronome increasing as the pics associated with the time periods pass up to current time>

[extended montage of suffering, war, despair, death]
and WE have suffered the consequences

[fade to black, end music]
because WE are their prey.

[black screen, fade in EKG flatline]
WHERE IS THE CONSPIRACY THEORY?

[black screen, EKG flatline]
PSYCHOPATHY IS A BIOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFIC FACT.

[fade in EKG, EKG flatline]
there is only ONE antidote...

[EKG, EKG beeps]
KNOWLEDGE

[EKG, EKG beeps]
Inoculate yourself.
Inform yourself.

[Fade to black, fade to heartbeat]
[signs logo and website if approved?]

[black screen, heartbeat]
<image>"The Mask of Sanity" or "The Sociopath Next Door" book cover.
<image>"Snakes in Suits" book cover.
<image>"Political Ponerology" book cover.
KNOWLEDGE PROTECTS

 

[Approaching Infinity]

I've had a go at editing the script. No major changes, just reordering and changes to make the new layout flow. It's arranged around the following structure:

1. Introduction
2. Characteristics of psychopathy
3. Implications of psychopathy
4. Summary/Punchline(s)

Really well done, IMO. Maybe this Lobaczewski quote can be put in, if there's room: "Natural human reactions strike them as strange, interesting, and even comical." It would be illustrated well with a picture of perhaps a Palestinian holding his/her dead child. To think that someone would find this "comical" is horrific. A good shock, I think.