Latest blog posts by fishead

Jessica Levy wrote:

20 07 2012 09:23:11 +0000

Hi
I just wanted to write and say that I Ioved the film.
I read without conscience by Robert Hare
I found this book after I ended a relationship with a man who ripped me off for a huge amount of money.
I found him to have many of the characteristics of a psychopath, the wooden behaviour, mimicking emotions, shallow affect and showing only remorse for his own losses and no one else’s.
This is a fascinating subject and I enjoyed the film v much.
Only wish I had researched this personality type prior to my involvement with this man.
They say psychopaths do well in the business world. Of course they do it makes perfect sense, they can stream roller their way to “success” without the annoying impediments of conscience being in their way.
Thanks again.

Jessica Levy.

Vaclav Havel:In Memoriam

28 06 2012 16:10:46 +0000

“Why should you validate your ticket in an empty streetcar, when you are alone, at night and nobody can see you?” was one of the many favorite metaphors used by Vaclav Havel when he spoke about the struggle of good against evil within all of us. He sided with and placed hope on the “little observer” we all carry inside since our childhood, who tells us when we do something wrong.

In Vaclav Havel’s view the fact that we all know well what is the difference between good and evil is about the only hope we have as humankind – to survive and to thrive. We may not always act in accordance with our conscience, we may err but as long as we know it, there is hope.

Since this past Sunday he is not with us in person to give us a reminder and so more responsibility falls on us.

Especially those of us, who know that not everybody has the “little observer” inside, we need to continue in our mission to let everybody know.

We want to wish you a pleasant holidays season filled with joy and happiness. Many thanks again to all of you who shared your personal stories with us. They were all encouraging to us.

In 2012 we will continue to send out the message of <fishead( to as many people as we can and to build awareness – hopefully with your help and with the help of your “little observers”.

Just in time for the holidays we are happy to announce the arrival of the “I am <fishead( international DVD. For those of you who would like to have a personal copy, please get back to us via email.

All the best in 2012

Philip's blog..

26 06 2012 11:28:24 +0000

"People trust each other less and less these days, and I see some danger of further fractionalisation here. Instead of watching this film and gleefully pointing out who are the psychopaths from the people we know - we might better ask ourselves 'How high is my own capacity for empathy?'

Rather than looking at being a 'psychopath' as an on/off proposition, it might be wiser instead to measure the positive aspect of empathy, and have a scale ranging from 0 to 100 that reflected it.

This would cause us to view people on the low end as being 'Empathetically Challenged'. It would corollate with all the film's evidence, while providing a clearer picture that answers that question about why the large masses of us can be coerced into temporary, psychopathic actions by authority figures.

The average person in the dark ages had less predilection towards empathy than we do now, and thus torture was not only allowed but used as entertainment. Few ever thought to ask 'How would it feel if that were me?'

I suspect that while 1% of us fall into the dangerous 'Empathetically Challenged' percentile (and move up the chain of command more easily), only a slightly higher number can consistently be expected to have the greatest capacity for it. Thus only a few people refused to push the electro shock button.

In between the two extremes lie most of us.

In the seventies people used to hitch hike, even though the odd story would crop up in the news. It wasn't until the media created the depiction of the 'psychopath' that both hitch hikers and drivers simply felt it too risky. Ask yourself why Hannibal Lector became a cult hero? Perversely, people can equate the sociopath or psychopath with higher cognitive powers.

Finally. another thought difficult to wrestle with:

Since these elements have most likely always existed in human society, it could be posited that it is their dynamic push and pull that has gotten us to where we are today. Perhaps they both play a role. The Hitler and Napoleons versus the Jesus and Ghandis of history. One organises ruthlessly, the other stops the madness and provokes reflection (on occasion).

I know one thing. if I was a world leader faced with having to sacrifice a certain 5,000 people to save a hypothetical million, I would falter. We almost demand a degree of empathetic detachment from people who make such decisions.

Certainly, wherever history leads the people of this planet, we will have to acknowledge the role of our 'psychopathic' or 'empathetically challenged' elements (often leaders) in causing the development of that future world.

Bottom line:

Condemn no one. Move forwards, onwards, and upwards to the light!"

Fishead Feedback From Mary...

30 05 2012 14:58:17 +0000

I have just finished watching your film. The very first statement cut to the core and I was in tears for the first time in years over what happened to me. Not because I was sad, but because it was clear that what I had gone through was understood by another. You have put together something that truly has the power to change the world, something that can educate and inspire people. Warmest regards, Mary

Fishead Feedback From Caroline...

30 05 2012 14:21:59 +0000

I did a screening of Fishead on Saturday night....Shortly after the intent of your movie was clear I couldn't help but notice that one man quickly escorted his girlfriend out of the party. I have known him for years and was surprised and yet not surprised he did this. He is certainly not the violent type however I do have my questions regarding him. Could be a psychopath, could be a narcissist... This is a difficult topic for many. They want to turn away. They don't want to believe it. Best, Caroline (the name has been changed to protect privacy)

Fishead Feedback From Barbara...

30 05 2012 14:09:07 +0000

Discovering an article which acknowledges, recognizes and explains psychopathy has been a life altering moment for me....and then discovering shortly thereafter that a movie fully committed to this subject matter exists....another profound moment!!! Why life-altering and why profound? Because the media attention now being given to the topic of 'Psychopathy' has helped me to finally understand that I grew up with a 'Psychopathic father'! Despite my lifelong efforts to seek counselling for my fractured life....not one counsellor ever acknowledged that the root problem could be a 'Psychopathic father'.......the diagnosis of choice was always that the problem stemmed from his 'alcoholism'!!! So am I grateful for all the media attention given to this subject matter??? Words cannot describe my immense gratitude!!!! That being said..........if I can help spread the message of your movie by organizing a screening in my community, I will do so gladly!!! Barbara

Fishead Feedback From Camille...

30 05 2012 12:02:32 +0000

Bless you for this riveting and powerful documentary. I have watched it twice and will be watching it again. I found <fishead( mentioned on a site that has a support group for victims of psychopaths. Unfortunately, I believe that I am married to a 1 in a hundred kind of guy. Life is hell. But - what an incredible coincidence that your documentary was released just as occupywallstreet began. I will - and already have begun - sending word out to friends and family with loads of Facebook friends to watch <fishead( online. Camille

Fishead Feedback From Maria...

30 05 2012 11:50:06 +0000

Hi guys, I'm Italian living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Lost my parents, just a brother who is sociopath: He tried to make my life impossible. Need to put a lot of energy in contrasting it! So your documentary is simply amazing, would like to see all and show to other people for sensibilizing about this. One of the most serious issues is how the victims are perceived by the society. Victim is mostly considered as the real offender not as the victim! Maria

Fishead Feedback From Brian...

30 05 2012 11:19:21 +0000

great film. i showed it last night to several of my connected community activist friends. specific critiques were mixed but overall everyone thought it was a very good documentary. Brian

Fishead Feedback From Catherina...

30 05 2012 10:41:46 +0000

It is a great movie you have put together - congratulations. Several people and friends are already fired up about it and sharing via FB and Skype and where ever else. Thank goodness there are bright souls like you who fearlessly use your talent to awaken the sleeping. May you have great success with this venture and I hope much good will follow in its footsteps for you both. Consider me a friend who will make friends of friends of friends your friends... :-) All the best, Catherina

More Fishead Feedback!

30 05 2012 10:23:42 +0000

Absolutely amazing film. Very well done; great photography and such an accurate and complete definition you have captured! Bravo! You have filled in a lot of 'holes' for a lot of people. You are blessed. Thank you so much. Be sure I shall promote your film whenever and however I can. It should be included in a lot of medical/psychiatric things.... My life was a shambles for almost 10 years because of a psychopath. I have been on an amazing journey to understanding. It has been a long adventure for me. One that has almost taken my life from me in more ways than one. I shall comment on the site as well. Thanks again for the film and the validation. "WHitty"

Fishead Feedback From Liban...

30 05 2012 10:12:33 +0000

Hi. Thank you for taking the time to do what no one else nowadays dares to do. "In a time of Universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell. I will share this with as many as I can. Peace, Liban

Fishead Feedback From Patricia...

30 05 2012 09:58:40 +0000

Hello, I watched Fishead with my husband, we both thought it was a brilliant documentary. We both shared a link to you on facebook, in the hopes that other friends would take the time to view it themselves and hopefully share it too. In fact, I think I will log back to facebook to share it again, just in case someone missed my link! Thank you, Patricia

More Fishead Feedback!

30 05 2012 09:33:43 +0000

Hi guys, I just watched the movie and I really enjoyed it. At first I was a bit apprehensive - I've seen many paranoiac depictions of psychopathy already - but as the movie progressed I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of it, and the suggestions it offers for 'normal' people to do something positive about the situation. Thank you for making and sharing this movie, Wim

Fishead Feedback From Tracy...

30 05 2012 09:21:30 +0000

Wow, important film! I have shared it with all my friends on facebook, and all my twitter followers. I'm going to send it to my email data base next...something I normally would not do. Keep up the good work guys, Tracy

Fishead Feedback!

30 05 2012 09:10:20 +0000

Walking Away From Wall Street

24 05 2012 18:23:25 +0000

This is a very interesting article that was found. Check out the link below:

http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_052412.mp3/view

Article in the New York Times

15 05 2012 13:23:30 +0000

Check out this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/opinion/sunday/fables-of-wealth.html?_r=1

Take Two film festival

09 05 2012 10:15:18 +0000

Good news everyone. I am <fishead( made it into the festival "Take Two" starting November 2-4th.

"Bystander Effect"

08 05 2012 10:54:12 +0000

I'm guilty of the "Bystander Effect." I admit that I have on many occasions I've walked past people on the streets of NYC who looked like they needed help. Now I'm not a bad guy, but most of these people that I walked by are usually lying in their own vomit and urine. I do tell the police to help them, but even they seem to be hesitant. It costs a lot of money to call an ambulance, get them to the hospital, clean them up, feed them and then send them on their way just to score again. It's a vicious cycle. Do we help these people and spend thousands of dollars to clean them up and send them on their way, do we leave them to rot, do we send them to jail?? What is the appropriate response?

Debbie Stevens Interview with ABC / Victim of a Psychopath

08 05 2012 10:14:20 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEAL6IA8mfw

Let me know you thoughts...

What do you think should happen to Jackie Brucia??

06 05 2012 14:11:12 +0000

The perfect example of a psychopath boss is Jackie Brucia. This is exactly what the movie I am <fishead( is all about.

What do you think should happen to Jackie?? What is a suitable solution? What kind of compensation should Debbie Stevens get?

This is exactly what makes my blood boil!! Personally I think that Jackie should be cut open and give back the kidney!

What do you think?

Psychopath Boss fires kidney donor!

06 05 2012 14:04:43 +0000

I am
20 01 2012 16:46:58 +0000

Why fishead?

Wiki answers

"Fish rots from the head" means bad ideas affect the body. This may be the body politic or body corporate or family. This phrase underscores the importance of leadership. Who are the decision makers and what drives their decisions? This is why "transparency" has become the watch word or our times. In a democracy people should be able to know on what basis decisions are made. This protects us from head rot.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_fish_rots_from_the_head_means#ixzz16Y34nbkI

I am pretty sure that the first time I heard the term “fish-head” was in Amsterdam in the early nineties when I worked there in the ship docks. The local hired hands were literally from around the world spoke a funny mix of English and Dutch. They called each other “fishead” many times a day. I liked the term for its inherent originality and its image stuck with me through the years.

I also grew up hearing the proverb “Fish always rots from the head” Some say that it is of Russian origin, but according to others it is very old and as universal as one can imagine.

More reading:

The Fish Rots From the Head: The Crisis in Our Boardrooms: Developing the Crucial Skills of the Competent Director [Paperback]

Bob Garratthttp://www.amazon.com/Fish-Rots-Head-Boardrooms-Developing/dp/186197616X (Author)

When an organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause.

Origin

This proverb is widely stated to have been coined in the late 17th century. It is claimed to have been used in John Josselyn's An Account of Two Voyages to New-England, which was published in London in 1674. Having scanned the book, I can't find any citation of the phrase, or anything like it. Perhaps I need to look again, but I have my doubts about that attribution.

Whatever the date of origin, many countries lay claim to it. I've seen sources that place it in China, Russia, Poland, England, Greece and so on..., but with no evidence of any sort to substantiate those claims.

All of the early examples of the phrase in print prefer the 'a fish stinks from the head down' variant to 'a fish rots from the head down', which is more popular nowadays. Those early examples all ignore the nations mentioned above and credit the term to the Turks. Sir James Porter'sObservations on the religion, law, government, and manners of the Turks, 1768, includes this:

The Turks have a homely proverb applied on such occasions: they say "the fish stinks first at the head", meaning, that if the servant is disorderly, it is because the master is so.

The early date of this citation and the fact Porter was in a position to be authoritative on the Turkish custom, being as he was British ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire for 15 years in the second half of the 18th century, gives Turkey a strong claim to be the birthplace of this proverb.

Of course, the proverb isn't a lesson in piscine biology. The phrase appears to have been used in Turkey in a metaphorical rather than literal sense from the outset. That's just as well as, in reality, it is the guts of fish that rot and stink before the head.

The way we understand the meaning of the saying (which coincidentally is apparently biologically incorrect) is that the inherent cause of the problems eventually experienced by the whole could be traced back to the head = brain.

We coined the term fishead as the metaphor that “something” which is wrong with the world we live in. We knew that would need to look for it in the brain. Thanks to our very talented friend graphic designer Jan Sabach the term soon got its own brand and became <fishead(

www.brainstormwarning.org

But does the phrase “The fish rots from the head” hold true in a republic like the United States, where all citizens have the right to vote?

Consider the following:

Not according to David Groman, a fish pathologist at Atlantic Veterinary College, which is part of the University of Prince Edward Island, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Groman may not be the Quincy of fish (he’s not a forensic fish pathologist), but he does make it his business to know how and why fish die. Which means that he knows how and why fish rot.

Groman found time between his fish autopsies to comment on the rotting-fish metaphor. “I don’t know where that proverb comes from,” says Gromon. “But it’s a poor metaphor. And, I must say, it’s biologically incorrect. When a fish rots, the organs in the gut go first. If you can’t tell that a fish is rotting by the smell of it, you’ll sure know when you cut it open and everything pours out — when all the internal tissue loses its integrity and turns into liquid.”

Regardless of the biological relevance we now have a term or a metaphor and we can begin our search.

Psychopaths and Psychopathy

06 12 2011 01:17:35 +0000

Psychopath and psychopathy What is psychopathy? Everybody knows the term and typically when I mention it …people smile. For some reason psychopath is now a word which induces positive reaction in at least some people. Interesting. When you open the DSM – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or Mental Diseases, you won’t even find the term psychopathy there. Psychopathy is no longer recognized as a medical condition or disease. The closest in terms of symptoms to what we call psychopathy is Antisocial Personality Disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder) So what do people actually think it means? According to randomly chosen people we asked on the streets of New York, psychopaths are crazy, maniacs, insane killers, people like Charles Manson. Still not sure what’s so funny about that. Is that a sign of how cynical have we all become? Maybe not.  Maybe we are not quite so cynical but we can smile at the word because we associate it with something unreal. Maybe we don’t really take the word seriously. Maybe what happened over time is that we see psychopaths so completely and utterly over the top bad, that we don’t really fear them. We don’t fear them because they only exist in movies. We are not the only ones here believing that psychopathy has been kidnapped by the entertainment industry and stripped of its real feel. Once it was a serious medical condition but now who cares. Actually there are few people who care and there is one individual who has done a lot of work to bring psychopathy back where it belongs – back in serious psychiatric and neuro-scientific research: Professor Robert Hare. We share some of his ideas and credit him for being one of the biggest inspirations for

What is
06 12 2011 00:28:36 +0000
Why fishead? Wiki answers "Fish rots from the head" means bad ideas affect the body. This may be the body politic or body corporate or family. This phrase underscores the importance of leadership. Who are the decision makers and what drives their decisions? This is why "transparency" has become the watch word or our times. In a democracy people should be able to know on what basis decisions are made. This protects us from head rot. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_fish_rots_from_the_head_means#ixzz16Y34nbkI I am pretty sure that the first time I heard the term “fish-head” was in Amsterdam in the early nineties when I worked there in the ship docks. The local hired hands were literally from around the world spoke a funny mix of English and Dutch. They called each other “fishead” many times a day. I liked the term for its inherent originality and its image stuck with me through the years. I also grew up hearing the proverb “Fish always rots from the head” Some say that it is of Russian origin, but according to others it is very old and as universal as one can imagine. More reading: The Fish Rots From the Head: The Crisis in Our Boardrooms: Developing the Crucial Skills of the Competent Director [Paperback] Bob Garratthttp://www.amazon.com/Fish-Rots-Head-Boardrooms-Developing/dp/186197616X (Author) When an organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause. Origin This proverb is widely stated to have been coined in the late 17th century. It is claimed to have been used in John Josselyn's An Account of Two Voyages to New-England, which was published in London in 1674. Having scanned the book, I can't find any citation of the phrase, or anything like it. Perhaps I need to look again, but I have my doubts about that attribution. Whatever the date of origin, many countries lay claim to it. I've seen sources that place it in China, Russia, Poland, England, Greece and so on..., but with no evidence of any sort to substantiate those claims. All of the early examples of the phrase in print prefer the 'a fish stinks from the head down' variant to 'a fish rots from the head down', which is more popular nowadays. Those early examples all ignore the nations mentioned above and credit the term to the Turks. Sir James Porter'sObservations on the religion, law, government, and manners of the Turks, 1768, includes this: The Turks have a homely proverb applied on such occasions: they say "the fish stinks first at the head", meaning, that if the servant is disorderly, it is because the master is so. The early date of this citation and the fact Porter was in a position to be authoritative on the Turkish custom, being as he was British ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire for 15 years in the second half of the 18th century, gives Turkey a strong claim to be the birthplace of this proverb. Of course, the proverb isn't a lesson in piscine biology. The phrase appears to have been used in Turkey in a metaphorical rather than literal sense from the outset. That's just as well as, in reality, it is the guts of fish that rot and stink before the head. The way we understand the meaning of the saying (which coincidentally is apparently biologically incorrect) is that the inherent cause of the problems eventually experienced by the whole could be traced back to the head = brain. We coined the term fishead as the metaphor that “something” which is wrong with the world we live in. We knew that would need to look for it in the brain. Thanks to our very talented friend graphic designer Jan Sabach the term soon got its own brand and became