I know this post will seem very insensitive, so I understand if it gets downvoted (though I would also say that’s the very reason sympathy-exploitation tactics work), but I would like to posit a 3rd fork to the “How to Interpret This” section: That Annie suffers from a combination of narcissistic personality disorder and false memory creation in service of the envy that disorder spawns. If someone attempted to fabricate a story that was both maximally sympathy-inducing and reputation-threatening for the target, I don’t think you could do much better than the story laid out here within the confines of the factual public events of Annie & Sam’s life.
If Annie’s story turns out to be true and is proven to be, the outcome is that the general public would perceive Sam as:
A) Greedy to the extent of moral perversity in making a diamond out of his father against his consent.
B) A rapist for what he did to Annie.
C) An implied pedophile, even if Sam was himself a minor.
In addition, the public would also perceive Sam’s brother as at least B & C as well, and Annie would likely win some sort of legal settlement from the abuse. All of objectives met for both someone suffering genuine abuse as well as someone who did not but did suffer from narcissism and felt wronged by more successful siblings.
Besides this, the amount of disorders Annie has is itself a red flag to me; not only is having a litany of less physiologically-visible disorders rather statistically-unlikely in the general population but also a more common trait in people who exploit social charity/sympathy for gain, such as those running low-level welfare benefit scams or who falsely pose as homeless for charity, many of whom suffer from what has become known as “vulnerable” narcissism as opposed to the classic grandiose variety. I wish it were the case that every ADHD sufferer with nerve pinching & chronic anxiety/depression was really someone who is trying their best to become whole, but anyone with experience in the system (such as civil servants) knows that’s not the case.
The other red flags to me are the Zoloft prescription (weak) as well as claims of shadowbanning (stronger), more that someone might have abnormal (and possibly exploitative) psychology or be more prone to false memory creation than to actually being exploitative directly. I find it difficult to believe even a Valley insider like Sam could get Annie simultaneously shadowbanned on that many platforms simultaneously, while somehow not touching her sex work accounts which are more grey area and skittish legally.
That being said, all of this are rather weak evidence on its own. I figured I’d offer my perspective as someone more working-class than most LWers, who’s met their share of narcissistic/crab-in-a-bucket people who’ve falsely gone after their own more successful (though not nearly as much as Sam) siblings.
the amount of disorders Annie has is itself a red flag to me
Are a person’s mental disorders (especially ones that started in early childhood) the person’s own fault, or are they possibly a consequence of trauma or abuse? If you abuse someone as a child, they are very likely to develop some mental disorders (the greater the abuse, the more severe and long-lasting they’re likely to be). Is it then fair to say, “This person’s claims of abuse have no merit, just look at their mental disorders” (as in, a “crazy person’s” claims should not be believed)?
I know this post will seem very insensitive, so I understand if it gets downvoted (though I would also say that’s the very reason sympathy-exploitation tactics work), but I would like to posit a 3rd fork to the “How to Interpret This” section: That Annie suffers from a combination of narcissistic personality disorder and false memory creation in service of the envy that disorder spawns. If someone attempted to fabricate a story that was both maximally sympathy-inducing and reputation-threatening for the target, I don’t think you could do much better than the story laid out here within the confines of the factual public events of Annie & Sam’s life.
If Annie’s story turns out to be true and is proven to be, the outcome is that the general public would perceive Sam as:
A) Greedy to the extent of moral perversity in making a diamond out of his father against his consent.
B) A rapist for what he did to Annie.
C) An implied pedophile, even if Sam was himself a minor.
In addition, the public would also perceive Sam’s brother as at least B & C as well, and Annie would likely win some sort of legal settlement from the abuse. All of objectives met for both someone suffering genuine abuse as well as someone who did not but did suffer from narcissism and felt wronged by more successful siblings.
Besides this, the amount of disorders Annie has is itself a red flag to me; not only is having a litany of less physiologically-visible disorders rather statistically-unlikely in the general population but also a more common trait in people who exploit social charity/sympathy for gain, such as those running low-level welfare benefit scams or who falsely pose as homeless for charity, many of whom suffer from what has become known as “vulnerable” narcissism as opposed to the classic grandiose variety. I wish it were the case that every ADHD sufferer with nerve pinching & chronic anxiety/depression was really someone who is trying their best to become whole, but anyone with experience in the system (such as civil servants) knows that’s not the case.
The other red flags to me are the Zoloft prescription (weak) as well as claims of shadowbanning (stronger), more that someone might have abnormal (and possibly exploitative) psychology or be more prone to false memory creation than to actually being exploitative directly. I find it difficult to believe even a Valley insider like Sam could get Annie simultaneously shadowbanned on that many platforms simultaneously, while somehow not touching her sex work accounts which are more grey area and skittish legally.
That being said, all of this are rather weak evidence on its own. I figured I’d offer my perspective as someone more working-class than most LWers, who’s met their share of narcissistic/crab-in-a-bucket people who’ve falsely gone after their own more successful (though not nearly as much as Sam) siblings.
Are a person’s mental disorders (especially ones that started in early childhood) the person’s own fault, or are they possibly a consequence of trauma or abuse? If you abuse someone as a child, they are very likely to develop some mental disorders (the greater the abuse, the more severe and long-lasting they’re likely to be). Is it then fair to say, “This person’s claims of abuse have no merit, just look at their mental disorders” (as in, a “crazy person’s” claims should not be believed)?