

The Pathological Altruist Gives Till Someone Hurts  - danso
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/science/04angier.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

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tokenadult
It's more than a little dodgy to describe behavior that imposes on someone
else's time and resources purportedly to help others as "altruistic." (The
first example in the submitted article was such an example.) People get credit
for being generous when they redistribute resources properly belonging to
other people (I'll refrain from giving examples) but I don't call that
"altruism." I thought altruism is when you or I devote OUR OWN time and
resources to help someone else. That said, the article makes the interesting
point, while referring to an interesting new book, that some people may harm
themselves and the other people they think they are helping while engaging in
behavior that on the surface appears to be altruistic.

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ScottBurson
_It's more than a little dodgy to describe behavior that imposes on someone
else's time and resources purportedly to help others as "altruistic."_

I came here to say the same thing. What does imposing undesired and
excruciatingly painful medical procedures on a terminal cancer patient have to
do with altruism??? I'd say it verges on evil! The doctor put his own ego
above the patient's interests. This is arrogance, not altruism.

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yread
> Selflessness gone awry may play a role in a broad variety of disorders,
> including anorexia and animal hoarding, women who put up with abusive
> partners and men who abide alcoholic ones.

As an alcoholic man who has to put with an abusive partner, I find this
paragraph offensive

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bbg
_A relentless addiction to indignation_

Those are exactly the words I've been looking for to describe my boss.

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maratd
Wooooow! I can't believe that's actually in the NYT! Downvote me into
oblivion, but I gotta say it. The NYT finally pegged contemporary liberalism
=)

