VenomFangX: The Psychology of Fundamentalism 2

[hollymadissonhefner]

Love your voice dude..but as to of the poster pointed out like Albu and especcially Cheistmas1971 you not only were wrong in his diagnosis but the definition of mental illness, but you were also hypocritical by sayong that he did not cite any factual information to back up his information and these two people who obviously are educated in Psychology SPANKED YOU! I DO NOT LIKE VENOM! But your a hypocrite and a conman too!

[theowarner]

Well, it could also be that they are wrong and I'm still right.

As for being a conman, I just don't get your reasoning there.

Thanks!

[hollymadissonhefner]

That was a bit harsh. I removed my comment. You were very gracious about it. Sorry. I am just saying he does not seem to have (it seems quite evident) an organic mental illness-such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. He displays personality disorder characteristics. And you said you do not have credentials in psychology and yet, you pointed out he cites info. w/out having something similar to credentials. That's all. :) But agreed...he needs serious help man!

[theowarner]

Let me try to earn this reputation of graciousness and explain myself a little.

1) I do not believe that is an organic mental illness. I would hold that it is more akin to a personality disorder. It is not in DSM,so, but that is obviously not the point.

2) My point in emphasizing that I am not a psychologist is dissuade people from asking my questions about their personal lives. I do read books and probably more than VFX. But, that doesn't matter, my opinions are overtly opinions. His aren't.

[Douglas1102]

Excellent vid... and good job "sticking to your guns".

[lolmos]

great video. What is the song at the end?

[theowarner]

That is "vicious world" by rufus wainwright.

[NickIzumi]

This reminds me of the essays on NPR. I like these videos so far.

[blindside55]

This seems like counter-propaganda. You don't have any sources either. Though I do agree with nearly everything you are saying.

[christmas1971]

This totally made laugh out loud! The majestic voice, any fool without a psychology background would fall for. Shawn/Venom was ILL YES. Categorically speaking though not mentally ill. He showed strong characterstics of personality disorders Axis 2 antisocial and narcissism. Put it this way, in the US, clinicians would have to diagnose him with an ORGANIC illness...MENTAL, illness for health insurance to pay. Even our legal system disqualifies pd's as mental illness. Google DSM for yourselves.

[Douglas1102]

"any fool without a psychology background would fall for"

That's an interesting opinion... mine is the biggest fools I've ever met have Psychology backgrounds.

Shawn was ill?

No... he is ill.

Not sure what your point is... you admit the poster was spot on claiming he "was" ill... yet you "lol" because you claim he shows signs of an "organic" illness and not "mental illness".

Are you saying "technically" he has a personality disorder and not mental disorder?

Big f*ckin' deal!!

[Douglas1102]

Here's a "diagnosis" Doc...

I think you're a butthurt Christian... and I think your shattered ego made you post your patronizing and essentially irrelevant post.... and that makes me "lol".

[SexyMelon]

I really don't think VFX was actually talking about love in that segment.

In fundamentalist Christianity, love is not a feeling or phenomenon - it's an obligation that one is must profess towards everyone and everything at all times warranted by strict biblical law much like commandment or sin.

[SexyMelon]

In fact, it's rather monstrous if not monstrously cruel.

Personally, I'm rather glad I have never had to participate in psychical deconstruction of such great psychical phenomena or... Whatever it is.

[Reagan988]

Thats the great thing about Youtube and education, you don't need squat to make sense.

[ShadowPa1adin]

I know you know quite a bit about philosophy, but what are your psych credentials?

[theowarner]

I have absolutely no creditials whatsoever.

[Albukhshi]

out of care: shouldn't you point out the fact that there are no credentials first? as a desclaimer in your information tab.

that said, your work is meaningful, and I will willingly show this to others for learning.

favorited!

[bkstudios1990]

fundementalist are the very last prople who should talk of love, they know nothing about, everytime they do, i wanna hit e'm.

[horsesandmountains]

The sad thing is that vulnerable minds can be sucked into both extremes. I meet plenty of Fundamentalist atheists on YouTube and elsewhere.

[boorens18]

are you sure you know what fundamentalist means? Are you sure you arent confusing it with atheists who are simply rude or overly aggressive?

[horsesandmountains]

Those are some of the hallmarks of fundamentalism, yes. But more specifically, i am speaking of those atheists who are committed to the philosophy of naturalistic reductionism/naturalism, which, though they may say otherwise, is just a metaphysical interpretation of some patterns in science, not a ligical or factual inevitability.

[boorens18]

That is not fundamentalist atheism though, that is fundamentalist reductionism/naturalism. Because an idea is associated with atheism doesnt mean it is part of atheism.

[dechha1981]

I don't pretend to know what love is (The closest I've come to it myself is an absolute obsession with one paticular girl. Is that love? I don't know.) but VFX's definition of Love is actually MORE applicable to a ROBOT than anything that feels emotions.

[philhellenes]

"What he is promised by his delusions becomes more believable that the reality from which he is hiding."

Oh yeah. Too long in La La Land can make the truth become too ugly to face.

[whoisfettel]

bloody fucking brilliant video, very insightful. 5 stars is not enough

[deliciousonionsoup]

Refering to your "latently homosexual chaplin": the word latent has many slightly differen definitions - one being: "present but not visible, apparent, or actualized; existing as potential: latent ability." Personally I think any person could be homosexual so I question this "present but not visible" thing unless it is actually "present" in everyone.

[jamesjeffreypaul]

Anyone can be slapped with the label of "latent homosexual." No one--even the individual so labelled--can disprove the accusation.

But I do love this essay.

[Sleipnirrr]

Gah! With the bleeping noise again!!! Apart from that, again good video!

[ROBOTPHILOSOPHER]

i object to the inclusion of pornographers in that group

[LastOptionPils]

I concur.

[massivereader]

As much as I would like to assume that, these days, everything is above board in the pornographic industry that has often proved not to be the case. There are still may young people who are drawn into the sex trades due to abuse, neglect, desperation, drug addiction or outright coercion. In the best of all worlds it would simply be good clean fun involving consenting adults.

But that's just not the case.

The reason they accept this kind of treatment is called the "stockholm syndrome".

[sirisnin]

You make me want to take Psychology class but I'm already taking sociology so i don't have to.

[billyjoet99]

At 2:53 you mention that "he alludes to theory-shattering facts without ever providing citations" I'm sorry, but your three essays of supposed 'psychological analysis of fundamentalism' has not contained one citation, yet contains any number of claims about the nature, personality, motivations, of a fundamentalist without logical warrant. Without citations or rational justification from you this amounts to nothing more than ad hominem.

[theowarner]

A very true observations... I've stated many times that most of my ideas are my own -- so, there are no citations. You can reject them as mere opinion, if you like. (On a side note, I recently did stumple upon some very complimentary research... "The Funadmentalism Project" is largely in agreement with me.)

[billyjoet99]

The only real problem I have with your opinion is that it sounds more like the description of introvert than a fundamentalist at times, when you mention the isolation and withdrawal from society and relationships with people who are different from them. I guess I think of a fundamentalist as someone is extroverted, outwardly arrogant, seeking out new people to have a confrontation with. At times the descriptions you were giving reminded me more of a Ted Kazcinsky then a Pat Robertson.

[TachiRdiesDirty]

yet another quality that is just very cool about you, you have the reason and ability to create videos from your own observations they ring true so well that you can point to research that is in the same line. It seems to me to be a function of high analytical intelligence and reasoning skills.

[Sm3gH3adx]

Brilliant analysis!

[Doooozi]

Your brain is awesome.

[assive2007]

I can only hope for my writing skils to be half as sophisticated as yours!

[Wolfismo]

great video...I think that there is really something wrong with VFX...^^'

[Clifftothemax]

Of course there is.

He dresses up as BATMAN to insult Islam for Pete's sake!!

[theorganichispanic]

I am really impressed with this. I have thought for some time that Venomfangx was ill. There's just something about him that strikes me as sick, but didn't know enough to understand it. Do you know if he's watched these videos or not? And if so, what was his reaction?

[theowarner]

I'm sure he did... I'm sure he search his name every day to see what people are saying. But he never got in touch.

Thanks!

[mikemikemofo]

you should post these as video responses to vfx,,,you'd get his attention then and probably get blocked in the process...because, well, the truth hurts.

[theowarner]

He doesn't allow critical video responses... predictably.

[urbanelf]

Ooooohhhh! Your analysis from ~5:00 out strikes me as Kleinian.  Good stuff.

[theowarner]

Wow... a pretty informed observation, I must say... I would agree.

[kanesoban]

What caught my attention in this video:

"His interests in hobbies wanes. Hi isolates himself. His performance drops."

Aren't these the exact same symptoms for Depression?

[theowarner]

Not entirely. And depression can also manifest itself with increased sexual promiscuity, too...

[mikemikemofo]

jeez, i wish my depression over the past year manifested itself with increased promiscuity, i'd trade good sex for zoloft and cymbalta any day;)

[Eregeras]

He does not have Asperger's Syndrome(pronounced ass-burger, hilarious). Why Soulinite continues to spread this rumour isn't clear to me.

[soulinite]

I think shawn has asberger's syndrome.

[PoJonez]

I believe assburger syndrome will inevitably lead to assmuncher syndrome.

[sonic8005]

Asperger's syndrome...

.... and dude, that was a really poor taste joke.

[PoJonez]

Thank you.=)

[BlackstarSirius]

It wasn't THAT poor taste, it was just kind of dumb.

[PoJonez]

Seemed the most surgical criticism I've ever seen of that fellow. Maybe you should make a video about how he can better himself...

[soulinite]

Great idea!

"healthy activities for fundamentalists"

[MizarShadow]

Your soothing voice and clear diction combined with an obvious degree of competence and intelligence make for a wonderful experience in the very den of fundamentalism.

Keep on making videos, because I plan on watching every one.

[theowarner]

Ha -- wow, thanks!

[nafet]

Oh God(laughs.) This sounds like how I used to be. Maybe I still have a few of these traits still. This was helpful.

[theowarner]

I've received no higher praise!

[theowarner]

Of course not, nor was that my claim. However, the statistics from the porn industry are staggering. Something like 80% of porn actress were abused as children and so on.

[soulinite]

Great video! 5/5 and fav.

Way to strike a blow for reason. Also you have a beautiful speaking voice.

[theowarner]

I sing good, too.

Thanks! (considering subscribing)

[soulinite]

I can imagine!

VFX's brain got broken by thunderf00t.

[erzhs]

bah bah bah, what a crap of shit!

[TomSFox]

Who is VenomFangX talking to in this video?

[theowarner]

I believe it was a video to TheAmazingAtheist -- but I'm not sure.

[soulinite]

It was. AA always new how to get under shawns skin.

[TomSFox]

Jack Chick is another such case.

I mean, this guy HAS to be mentally ill!

[theowarner]

Yeah, him and that catholic guy he works with... totally moronic from top to bottom. I read those things and it seems disgustingly bizarre!

Thanks!

[hollyfromdallas]

It's hard to know why someone with a healthy mental and emotional life would try to "reach out" to people by drawing such bizarre cartoons. The characters are usually portrayed as being either all good or all bad (and by bad I mean a man might have a smug or pious look, but according to his thought bubble, he has lascivious thoughts or is planning to rip off a business partner.)

[hollyfromdallas]

Clearly, to the writers of the JC comics, the occult is the most insidious and dangerous of all the influences in the world. I read one where a teenage girl fell into a group of practicing "witches" who were so evil they had supernatural powers and could levitate chairs, etc. She declined their offer to be a witch, too, because she wasn't trying to get damned to hell! They kidnapped her and murdered her but she was admitted into heaven so happy ending I guess.

[zeppelin0101]

Kudos for making an extensive analysis on that lunatic! After watching this I feel more sorry for him than angry at him. I doubt he can be helped, though.

[ClumsyRoot]

I feel the same way--pity rather than anger. VenomFangX's bravado and seeming imperviousness to reason or facts are symptomatic of an almost pathological insecurity. The saddest part is, you're probably right about his being beyond help.

[Hektor88]

pt 2: I feel this implies that a) the mentally ill are inherently hostile people and b) all rapists, bombers, etc are mentally ill because no "rational person" (not mentally ill) would be so mentally and emotionally vulnerable as to be susceptible to suggestions of rape, murder, joining cults etc.

You obviously didn't mean to imply that, but it was something that i picked up, and having been raised with a mentally ill person, i couldn't help but point it out.

[redlion7277]

One of my favorite songs

[Hektor88]

If there is one thing i don't approve of in this essay (which is well written and very insightful) is that it implies that the majority of the criminal class is mentally ill. In fact, the mentally ill are taken advantage of WAY more than vice versa. It is a common, yet dangerous misconception that the mentally ill are threats to society. I know theowarner didn't mean to imply they were, but i think its worth pointing out in another video, or an edit of this one.

[theowarner]

I don't really understand how you'd come to that conclusion... can you spell it out for me?

[Hektor88]

sure. your description of mental illness states that the mind simplifies its reasoning capabilities in order to allow more energy to go towards repairing the poorly functioning area. This then leads to a especially vulnerable state of mind, where the person is susceptible to all sorts of ideas (like bombing, raping, etc) and that they are hostile towards any exposure to the real complexities of reality.

[theowarner]

Ah... no, it doesn't mean that one is more like to rape; it means that one is more likely to be raped. I don't know why people rape. Bombers, however, are fundamentalists, so, I would say that most bombers are probably unhealthy in the mind. And they are still criminals.

[GoblinInventor]

This is also a specific kind of mental illness. Some, including bipolar and schizophrenia, are quite likely (at least, so I've heard and seen), passed genetically, or at least the predisposition toward this is passed genetically, I'd actually be hard pressed to say exactly what kind of mental illness you are describing. I myself am mentally ill, and I know many others who are, and a good portion of us probably don't like being associated with fundamentalists, or their mindset, or criminals.

[middlekk]

The thing I instantly noticed in the clips of VFX is when he said "I love you", he looked to the left.

There is a fairly robust theory of neurolinguistic programming that holds thatn persons who look to the left when they're making statements are lying.

So he said "I love you, man" and looked left...lie.

I know it's a pile-on, but I have no pity for the kid. He brings it on himself. I doubt he'll ever get help. He's being enabled by thousands of fellow travelers.

[dissolvingchaos]

I re-watched the 2 clips that show VFX after you said that. I noticed he blinked a lot and kept looking off to the left, both signs that he was lying. (He also did it when he said that atheists didn't know what love is.)

Thanks for pointing that out, I wouldn't have noticed it otherwise.

[TomSFox]

Yeah, and I just realized that he almost never looks into the camera in his videos.

[Tilley540]

pretty amazing

[AndrianGo]

Wow, I wonder how many points here apply to me?

[theowarner]

Probably very few.

[AzureFlameElk]

pornographers?

[lamnaa]

I concour. Huh?

[EntropyEternal]

Very very nice pair of essays. Astounding clarity in writing that deals with such complex issues.

[Fuzzball70]

This is a very interesting and different response to VenomFangX. However, I do wonder if you really can make such judgements about him, as while you have clearly learned much about him by watching his videos, surely you would need to know him much better personally to decide if he was mentally ill.

[theowarner]

That's an interesting point. I think that knowing that some on has a problem is a pretty obvious thing and probably the smallest samply of data will tell you that. Now, there are people that hide their problems remarkably well, but that's different. And being precise in a diagnostic is hard and takes experience and insight. But, I think that the mere conclusion of whether a subject has a problem is pretty easy to make. Good thought, though!

[MistaJussu]

So..VfX is mentally ill? Whats wrong with him (Read: please simplify the video, and cut it down to 3 sentences)

[theowarner]

Someone make him sad so he think God make him happy but him still sad.

[goodbryan]

Maybe he's gay?

[theowarner]

Ha... You know, I thought about that. He doesn't talk about women, even tangentially, but I don't think that that's an issue (or, if it is, it's not manifest.)

[junkfoodman607]

Incredible "essay". I'd love to know your background on the subject of psychology, as I've always been interested in it myself.

Have you ever thought that these two videos could be but an assumption of VFX's personality? Or are you confident in your opinion?

[theowarner]

I'm fairly confident, but I'd invite you to disagree, whether you have a background or not.

[junkfoodman607]

I don't have any knowledge regarding psychology, so I tend to believe the things you say if enough evidence is provided (therefore I have no reason to disagree with you).

I can't wit to see more videos from you.

[cruxbucket]

excellent video set man. i take it you have some Psychology background. i would like to know.

[deconstrained]

The fact that you unnecessarily made this "essay" of yours into a YouTube video when it would have done much better and had been much more well-suited as a blog post just goes to show who you're pitching it to: the YouTubers who are too ignorant and/or lazy to read.

[theowarner]

The fact that you unnecessarily "commented" on this essay, which would have done much better if you had kept it to yourself, goes to show what you think of YouTubers -- and that you don't realize that you're not exceptional.

[deconstrained]

I only posted that comment because I didn't think that videos that are 95% text and speech were an effective use of YouTube when that much text would be better as a blog post, and I didn't mean that as an insult.

I never implied that *all* YouTubers were ignorant/lazy, a generalization that you imposed on what I had written. The audience is assumed to be YouTubers, so "the ... who are too..." is by implication a SUBSET of the audience. So please don't put words in my mouth.

[adopted3]

i hear in your voice a great pride in your human pea brain. if you could hear yourself from my perspective, you might be inspired to vomit.

[theowarner]

I'm going to watch your videos, Adopted... I'd love to hear more. I'd love to know about your perspective. Regards.

[theowarner]

Pea brain?

[PheenixTears420]

I hate religion. I hate what it has done to people that I love. I hate how dependent it has made them. I hate how it takes an amazingly intellectual person like my uncle and turns him into a man who is immersed in circular logic, anger and denial. It is a psychosis of the worst sort. This is so because, unlike other psychoses, it can be cured without the aide of therapists or medication and even without any aide at all. ..(continued...fucking character limit)

[Abdulmelik2007]

That makes the two of us.

[soulinite]

I think Venomfangx has asberger's syndrom.

[DefaultPosition]

*Asperger's

I doubt it. In some of his videos he has spoken about his disgust with himself and his thoughts. I suspect it's more likely that he has some issues he needs to speak to a therapist about; though that is unlikely to happen.

[soulinite]

Aperger's explains his dead pan face and monotone voice as well as his special interested in the bibile. His ability to quote hovind right down to the intonation also reeks of autism. VFX also lives with his parents still at 24.

[DefaultPosition]

I suspect that VFX is quit dedicated to what he does on YT, that indicates to me that he doesn't have much of a life to distract him.

[theowarner]

Well... Asperger's also will effect emotional affect... VFX has pretty predictable emotional affect... also, quotes aren't hard to read off a screen... Asperger's effect functionality... I mean, VFX is obviously a bit touched but, he can still go down to the store and by milk, right?

[mtp623]

It doesn't effect functionalty like that, I have AS and I hold a good job, and do things pretty well though it does effect my life in major ways, such as I have difficulty regonising social cues, faces, etc. and me and allot of people with AS have one trait you said in your first video, isolation. But we do develop a set interest and become very good at it, and soemtimes we can be in our "own world" so I can see how a fundie with AS would be like what you described.

[theowarner]

Your sounds like a minor case and I'm glad that your functionality is high. There are lower cases but no matter what, VKX does not have asbergers. Thanks!

[mtp623]

Yea, I don't beleve he does either, he doesn't seem to show the traits of it, rather than being in a mindset that you said, is similar to a mental illness, that he feels everything he says is "right" and everyone else is "wrong", no matter the discussion or the facts of the matter and he feels he has the "upper hand" allot too. Sadly, this seems to be a growing mindset, especially in places like YouTube, blogs, or the net in general. But I agree that fundamentalism is damaging in many ways.

[soulinite]

great vid