AOL -- do you THINK before you publish?

I just signed on to AOL and was greeted with an article about how to spot any psychopaths in your life.

That sounded like useful information, so I read it.

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/11/07/7-signs-youre-working-with-a-psychopath/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl8|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D403590

The description included vague things such as that a psychopath may use past tense more than present tense.

Don't look now, but your great-grandmother may, too.

Fake tears I get. I, too, saw Susan Smith try to pretend to cry after her babies were found drowned in a pond, still strapped in their car seats. The whole world saw her dry eyes. But really? The guy or gal who sits opposite you at work? People don't cry much at work.

As the article went on, the descriptors of the behaviors of psychopaths got more and more vague. None of us are psychologists and we should not be running around the social events we attend playing "Spot the Psychopaths!" Someone will look paranoid, and it will be us (wow -- good thing I didn't use past tense!)

I think I know a psychopath, and he doesn't exhibit any of those traits. He does lie, and attempt to manipulate, and he seems not to care about the finer distinctions between right and wrong. I don't need a label to avoid him. Clearly he's trouble.

But I bet some people will take that list, and study it, and start considering the people around them. What a shame.

AOL, sometimes you're just the National Enquirer of the Internet.