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Originally Posted by Team Sergeant
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As far as I can tell, all that stuff started with Grossman and
On Killing. IIRC, he contended that about 2% of the population were sociopaths, which he defined as someone who lacks a deep visceral, psychological inhibition against violence and killing. According to him, sociopaths might be good people, and there actions might be constrained by an ethical framework, but deep down, they don't mind killing and aren't affected by it the way the other 98% are. He also contended that people who lacked an inhibition against violence were disproportionately represented in organizations like SF.
I always thought his analysis was a little one-dimensional, but it was a great book to carry if you wanted some peace and quiet on an airplane. Pull out a copy of a book called On Killing, start ostentatiously reading it, and amazingly, your seatmate would stop trying to engage you in conversation and leave you alone.