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AS ALWAYS, EXCELLENT, Mr. Metcalf!
Posted Nov 23 2007 6:07PM CET
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Username withheld
, Pennsylvania |
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"Not only are these characteristics not abnormal in Suburbia - or even the general American culture - they are cultivated as norms by our ideology of social Darwinism, and ceaselessly reinforced by commoditized culture through brand-name status competition, advertising, and the cultural norms of the gender hierarchy (masculinity and femininity).
I don't know if I agree with the whole premise of the piece, but NPD; that is a dead on description of many of the people who thrive in an HOA."
With respect to the above, although many 'scientific' holdings in the field of psychiatry itself suspect (since 'diagnosis' of such mental disorders subjective at best), it would appear such a 'disorder' has it's roots in the American culture itself, and social changes which have occurred in this country since the '50s.
The media a huge contributing factor, and also the pressure and mindset that has transpired that 'conformity' rather than 'individuality' is what is important, cultivating 'self-esteem' in children at an early age (spanking now taboo, nor even public verbal correction is now something for which may result in a visit from Social Services, and superficial society with which we live. What are HOAs anyway, but crackerbox housing, row upon row in most instances, with perfectly manicured lawns, and pre-occupation with how everything 'looks.'
HOAs are the result of an American cultural disorder, forgetting that our country was created based on 'individual' freedom and rights, absent any which might be DIRECTLY harmful to another, with 'freedom' and 'liberty' then for all. Unfortunately, it appears our leaders have forgotten just what this country was founded for - and conformity certainly was not their mindset at all, nor 'appearances,' or grandiose self-importance, but to escape such 'social' ills as were occuring in England.
Too bad the media misses that also, and on each and every local station we have one 30 or 40 year old male 'anchorperson' in his 'power suit,' and blonde 20 or 30 something co-anchor, newsreaders for whom the latest Hollywood gossip usually is the 'headliner' or news bite during network programming.
The sink hole in which this country is sinking gets wider and deeper, and even the news now is not news at all, but the latest propaganda and attempts at mass manipulation of public policy.
Wonder if those 'news readers' have ever even read the Constitution when reporting on these HOA abuses - while the film crews are panning those manicured lawns?
Posted Nov 22 2007 6:14PM CET
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Username withheld
Phoenix, Arizona |
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My undergraduate degree was in Industrial Sociology from Ohio State and Homeowners Associations did not exist as they do today. These are really good case studies, until you have experience it you would never believe it.
I went on to have a career as an entreprenuer in the real estate industry. I love helping people so was elected to public office. It seemed like it would be good to learn as much as I could about government and public policy so in late middle age I got a Master's in Public Administration from Cleveland State.
After owning a home in Florida for 25 years, we are now having problems with a Homeowners Association that I never heard from except to pay our annual fee. After two meetings with the recently formed Covenants Group, I can agree with just about everything written on this topic.
Foreclosures are everywhere in this pricy neighborhood and instead of working to help people the policy seems to be fine them, get the lien and start a foreclosure action. How about someone who has nothing better to do than drive around every week like gestapo police - your trash cans aren't in your garage 15 minutes after the pick up; your mailbox is dirty, your roof needs pressure washed, your ladder needs put away quicker. It goes on and on. You can't park on a street in your own neighborhood.
I haven't figured out how a home owners association can legislate rules on a county street.
Posted Nov 22 2007 3:22AM CET
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Username withheld
Boardman, Ohio |
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Michael Reardon, East Falmouth, Massachusetts, wrote:"I don't know if I agree with the whole premise of the piece, but NPD; that is a dead on description of many of the people who thrive in an HOA." Michael, you are "dead on" correct according to the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual 4th Edition (aka DSM IV of the American Psychiatric Association).
And guess what? Here's some more information about these very serious mental disorders for you, and every reader here, to ponder as you and they observe what their HOA boards and their HOA lawyers say and do in their HOAs and CICs, also from DSM IV:
"Personality Disorders are mental illnesses that share several unique qualities. They contain symptoms that are enduring and play a major role in most, if not all, aspects of the person's life. While many disorders vacillate in terms of symptom presence and intensity, personality disorders typically remain relatively constant.
"To be diagnosed with a disorder in this category, a psychologist will look for the following criteria:
"Symptoms have been present for an extended period of time, are inflexible and pervasive, and are not a result of alcohol or drugs or another psychiatric disorder. The history of symptoms can be traced back to adolescence or at least early adulthood.
"The symptoms have caused and continue to cause significant distress or negative consequences in different aspects of the person's life.
"Symptoms are seen in at least two of the following areas:
"Thoughts (ways of looking at the world, thinking about self or others, and interacting)
"Emotions (appropriateness, intensity, and range of emotional functioning)
"Interpersonal Functioning (relationships and interpersonal skills)
"Impulse Control
Disorders in this Category
Antisocial Personality Disorder
[aka Sociopath and Psychopath in earlier DSM editions]
Borderline Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Go to http://allpsych.com/disorders/personality/index.html to read more in-depth information about these personality disorders.
Jan Jackson
Colorado HOA News
Posted Nov 21 2007 9:26PM CET
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Jan Jackson
Florissant, Colorado |
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I was reading an esoteric blog in countercurrents.org; Middle Class Angst: The Politics Of Lemmings and I found an interesting nugget or two that I think applies to the "HOA Personality".
The author of this piece had quite a few negative things to say about Suburbia, but what was interesting was the following:
Commoditized, instrumental culture has separated us from the deeper, non-rational psychic connections; and I will argue that inherent in this process of separation - this disenchantment - is a collective narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)
General guidelines for narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are:
(1) grandiose sense of self-importance,
(2) preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, perfect beauty, idealized love, etc.,
(3) belief that one is "special" and explicable only by others who are almost-equally special,
(4) obsessive need for attention and admiration,
(5) powerful sense of entitlement,
(6) instrumental attitude toward human relations (using others, or taking advantage of them),
(7) low index of felt-empathy (feigned empathy is in the repertoire of manipulation), (8) feels excessive envy and suspects envy of others for him/herself, and (9) displays of arrogance... there are a few others.
Psychiatry says that any five of these suggests NPD.
Not only are these characteristics not abnormal in Suburbia - or even the general American culture - they are cultivated as norms by our ideology of social Darwinism, and ceaselessly reinforced by commoditized culture through brand-name status competition, advertising, and the cultural norms of the gender hierarchy (masculinity and femininity).
I don't know if I agree with the whole premise of the piece, but NPD; that is a dead on description of many of the people who thrive in an HOA.
Posted Nov 21 2007 4:22PM CET
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Michael Reardon
East Falmouth, Massachusetts |
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Some of the us have decided to get involved in our Board and make changes to the ways things have been run from the beginning of time.
Yes I can look my nieghbor's eye and see that they do not want to anything that is govern by laws. They suffer from the Prince or Princess syndrome thinking that I don't have to pay my dues on time because I just feel like it.
Fines are imposed because we chose to live in this type of surrounding. You have a choice on where you live READ what's before you. I am currently digging in to make our community a place where you want to live. I question everyone and trust very little.
Management Companies thrive on boards who don't communicate amongst themselves creating kaos and leaving everyone in the dark. I don't want my neighbors home, if they are expiring a financial hardship I'll be the first to assist them on making arrangements for repayment until they get back on track. I've been there I know what it feels like.
Posted Nov 21 2007 4:20PM CET
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Username withheld
Anaheim, California |
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Robert, you asked supporters of HOAs some questions. Here are some possible answers to them, from a behavioral point of view.Question: "...what are we doing to each other?">Answer: What appears to have happened in HOAs is that the inmates have taken over the asylum.
That is, HOAs have become a magnet which draws in all manner of power-and-money seekers -- some (if not many) of whom might be clinically described as full-blown "psychopaths," or exhibiting many psychopathic symptoms in their verbal and nonverbal behaviors -- who then seek election to their HOAs' board of directors. And that happened, it appears, because throughout our nation essentially the same personality traits can be observed in many, if not most, of our public officials (local, state and federal) and corporate "leaders."
So what we're doing is that some of us are trying to completely control the rest of us. It appears to be very 'sick' behavior that would be brought to an immediate halt by people in an intelligent and rational society. But since the majority of We The People in what used to be this Constitutional Federal Republic form of government are NOT doing anything to stop the kind of behavior that will ultimately enslave us all, the question appears to be, what do the rest of us -- apparently now a very small minority -- do about this growing fascist situation?
You also asked:"Why do we have to exercise control over each other to the point of destroying lives in the name of a social fantasy that has no material existence? Has it become that easy to deny the painfully obvious truth that HOAs create sterile communities where residents are encouraged to report each other to the "authorities" in the name of being neighborly?" Answer: Yes, it is very easy for a society in which most appear to be in deep denial of the real world around them to simply be consciously unaware of the realities they live in. "Could any of you look into the eyes of your neighbors that your about to foreclose on and feel "right" about doing it?" Yes, they can easily do that and still sleep very soundly at night. Why? Because they're simply thinking and acting in a very 'sick' way that feels natural for them and, at the same time, is being condoned by their corporate culture and their government."Has the peculiar form of intolerance and dim-witted ambition that is probably best shown in the defective personality of George Bush become a preferred attribute of community living?" Yes, and that sort of "community living" is born from two things going on inside of an HOA: (1) what appear to be psychopathic behaviors of boards of director members, and (2) psychopathic behaviors of the boards' CAI lawyers."One only has to look to the HOA websites, both pro and con, to realize that the type of relationship that exists between the residents and between the residents and the HOA is unique. It's unnatural." Yes it is. But recall that kind of behavior is quite "natural" in a fascist state."The obvious, club-handed vaunters that live out their domination fantasies through pompous, silly behavior are obvious. You can laugh at them, but what about the people who simply let a part of their personality dissolve into the HOA collective?" Behavioral professionals would probably suggest to you that such personality flaws have simply laid dormant until the right time and place allowed them to surface. That time apparently is now. And that place appears to be HOAs."For the "Alpha Dog" board member, these thoughts and feelings just don't exist. Their ego-centric world exists only to satisfy their grandiose vision of themselves as they ply their psychopathic trade on the residents, all the time the CAM devil sitting on their shoulder, urging them on." Yes, the "alpha dog" type board member appears to be the full-blown psychopath. His followers appear to simply be wannabes who don't have the apparent brain or other (many times emotional) damage that the full-blown psychopath has.If you are someone who believes that HOAs are a natural and fruitful way of life, get help. " Remember, if they're truly psychopaths, they really believe that what they're doing is what they SHOULD do. They will never, ever seek help because they don't see any need for it. THEY think that WE need and want THEM to do the things to us that they do.
Jan Jackson
Colorado HOA News
Posted Nov 21 2007 10:56AM CET
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Jan Jackson
Florissant, Colorado |
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