Meet Alex: New York's Youngest Hustler(nymag.com)
nymag.com
Meet Alex: New York's Youngest Hustler
http://nymag.com/news/features/41539/
12 comments
I think he's probably literally psychopathic. I say this as someone reading who's been reading Wikipedia about the subject for about 5 minutes.
My official diagnosis is that he is a Factor 1 psychopath exhibiting symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder for positive effect according to PCL-R Model of psychopathy.
Alex behaviour demonstrates a strong correlation with the known symptoms of psycopathy including: glib and superficial charm, grandiosity, need for stimulation, pathological lying, conning and manipulating, lack of remorse, callousness, poor behavioral controls, impulsivity, irresponsibility, failure to accept responsibility for one's own actions.
I recommend that he eats humble pie three times a day before he gets his just desserts, after all you are what you eat.
I'm off to pop a few jealously tablets.
My official diagnosis is that he is a Factor 1 psychopath exhibiting symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder for positive effect according to PCL-R Model of psychopathy.
Alex behaviour demonstrates a strong correlation with the known symptoms of psycopathy including: glib and superficial charm, grandiosity, need for stimulation, pathological lying, conning and manipulating, lack of remorse, callousness, poor behavioral controls, impulsivity, irresponsibility, failure to accept responsibility for one's own actions.
I recommend that he eats humble pie three times a day before he gets his just desserts, after all you are what you eat.
I'm off to pop a few jealously tablets.
Sociopathic, perhaps... but psychopathic? I'm not sure he fits the description even based on the symptoms you've listed.
- Glib and superficial charm: Is there any other sort of charm?
- Pathological lying: Yes, there are depictions of lies (lady in the swimming pool), but are they substantively pathological?
- Conning and manipulation: These are mistaken for being the same thing; from the article, he is certainly a manipulator, but perhaps not a conman.
- As for lack of remorse, callousness, poor behavioral controls, impulsivity, irresponsibility, and failure to accept responsibility for one's actions... couldn't these be symptomtic of adolescence as well???
That said, I agree that this kid needs a dose of humility, and I'm sure he's going to get it in spades over the next few years.
That said, I agree that this kid needs a dose of humility, and I'm sure he's going to get it in spades over the next few years.
I read about a condition recently that was like the opposite of autism: people with it were extremely socially adept. Sounds like this kid has it.
Can't find a link at the moment; maybe someone else has read about it?
Can't find a link at the moment; maybe someone else has read about it?
Williams Syndrome.
One of its major symptoms is also mental retardation; while the article didn't delve too much into that sector, not mentioning mental retardation is a bit of a glaring omission.
One of its major symptoms is also mental retardation; while the article didn't delve too much into that sector, not mentioning mental retardation is a bit of a glaring omission.
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I have to wonder if the attention he gets is because of his age. He certainly wouldn't get away with a lot of the things mentioned in the article if he were, say, 20.
Good point. However, if he builds enough contacts between now and when he's twenty, that won't be much of a problem.
If he has a trust fund to support him for his entire adult life, then he's all set.
Otherwise, at some point he's going to have to do more than hang around, look cute, and do occasional odd jobs for free. I saw no evidence from the article that he's prepared for that aspect of adult life. It doesn't seem like his parents are even trying to prepare him.
Otherwise, at some point he's going to have to do more than hang around, look cute, and do occasional odd jobs for free. I saw no evidence from the article that he's prepared for that aspect of adult life. It doesn't seem like his parents are even trying to prepare him.
The article states he works for free at the Nike store and others because of child labor laws.
So when this becomes a Law and Order episode, will the kid be the victim or the murderer?
I love this kid - he knows what he wants and is able to get them without whining to his parents.
I think the parents have done a pretty good job.
I think the parents have done a pretty good job.
Sure did! With this type of enabling behavior at such a young age, who knows what might happen? He might be president one day!
Well, not precisely a role model.
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Poor kid. His life will suck.
Why has this gotten so many votes?
Rather, what I'd take away (from a cursory level, anyways) is not his glibness and glaringly ostentatious demeanor-- it's his glibness and glaringly ostenation demeanor <em>at such a young age</em>.
Rarely would we encounter such a young individual with such brazen behavior that he feels not that he's merely <em>able</em> to operate with an adult's social capabilities, but that he's in fact <em>entitled</em> to operate in such capacities.
While I realize that this boldness and brashness can be jealously misconstrued as simple pomp... this kid has true (thought perhaps not intellectual) genius and is certainly nothing akin to anything as depraved as, say, a Paris Hilton.