The Outside Edge: How Outsiders Can Succeed in a World Made by Insiders

14Utilizing (Constructive) Sociopathy

‘Sexist, even potentially misogynist’. That was the considered opinion of some commentators with respect to my first attempt at ‘finding meaning’ through creativity: in this case my ill-advised foray into ‘lad-lit’ authoring. Even sympathetic readers – such as my mother – suggested the tone was somewhat disrespectful to the women I encountered while on the New York dating scene. An accusation that, frankly, amazed me.

From my perspective, the book was, in part, an account of my late-onset confidence when dealing with the opposite sex. The joke, I assumed, was on me: the hapless male, finally gaining a modicum of aptitude while navigating the complex codes governing the singles' scene in uptight 1990s Manhattan. ...