Podcast Summary: Intentionally Disrupting with Dr. Leslie Dobson
Episode: Understanding Psychopathy in Young Children ... and politicians and actors and Hollywood.
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Dr. Leslie Dobson
Main Theme & Purpose
In this episode, Dr. Leslie Dobson delves into high-profile media cases, focusing on the intersection of psychopathy in children, its manifestation in current events, and how similar patterns recur among politicians, celebrities, and institutional leaders. She combines forensic psychological insight with biting dark comedy and sharp satire to deconstruct the state of chaos in headlines and the systems behind them, challenging listeners to rethink the thin line between tragedy and entertainment.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Case of the 6-Year-Old Shooter (Virginia School Shooting)
Timestamps: 03:15–16:40
- Court TV Segment Recap: Dr. Leslie discusses appearing on Court TV to analyze the case where a six-year-old boy brought his mother’s gun to school and seriously injured his teacher, Abby Zwerner.
- Behavioral History:
- Pattern of escalating, violent acts (e.g., attempted strangulation of a teacher at age five, sexual boundary violations, destruction of property).
- “This six year old is not normal. Okay? This is not normal for a six year old to do. He has a pattern that mimics an adult psychopath.” (05:45)
- Systemic Failures:
- School required mother’s presence instead of removing the child: “Putting all of your boys and girls in complete harm’s way...” (08:00)
- Institutional inaction: Vice principal ignored direct warnings about potential violence.
- Parent Accountability:
- Questions the logic of the school and legal consequences: “The mom got 21 months in prison. I think she’s probably out around now because this was 2023.” (09:20)
- Legal Ramifications:
- Massive civil suit by teacher, pending criminal charges against the vice principal and others.
2. The Neurology & Diagnosis of Psychopathy in Children
Timestamps: 16:45–24:30
- Brain Areas Implicated:
- Amygdala: Controls emotion, startle response, moral reasoning.
- “That’s fucked up in this child. And what does that mean? There’s no moral reasoning... you’re callous, you’re remorse[less], you don’t care.” (16:55)
- Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex: Governs reward processing, underactive in psychopathy.
- “All you can do is introduce consequences. But children at the age of six... they don’t respond to consequences, they respond to rewards. So what the fuck do you do with a child like this?” (18:30)
- Amygdala: Controls emotion, startle response, moral reasoning.
- Assessment Tools for Callous-Unemotional Traits:
- Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits (from age 3 or 4)
- Childhood Psychopathy Scale (around age 8)
- Antisocial Process Screening Device (ages 6–13)
- Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (ages 12–18)
- Behavioral Markers: Lack of empathy, shallow emotions, lack of remorse, impulsivity, thrill-seeking, callousness.
- Diagnostic Limitations:
- “You can’t cure a psychopath, right? ... But again, it’s not something we can diagnose because it’s not in the DSM 5 yet, but it will be.” (20:55)
3. Broader Context: Parenting, School Response, and Implications
Timestamps: 24:35–29:40
- Dr. Leslie’s View: Severe institutional misjudgment; school district could face class action for grossly endangering students.
- “If I were a parent in that school, I would be fucking suing that goddamn school...” (24:55)
- Comorbidity and Early Indicators:
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, ADHD, and Reactive Attachment Disorder all increase risk for antisocial/narcissistic traits in adulthood, especially in forensic or prison settings.
4. Pivot to Politics: Psychopathy in Power
Timestamps: 29:45–38:20
- Political Propaganda & Extreme Personalities:
- Commentary on the blurring of ideological lines, growing extremism, and specific figures (Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, Charlie Kirk).
- “It comes to a point where there’s no extreme left or right and they merge around and just become fucking diabolical stupidity of pointless human beings.” (32:15)
- Critique of Political Leadership:
- Both sides accused of hidden, selfish agendas, disregard for constituents’ suffering during government shutdown.
- “Selfish, psychopathic, narcissistic... It shows you exactly what politics is. It’s people in authority who love power... so sincerely detached from humanity.” (36:15)
5. Celebrity Scandals: Power, Abuse, Legal Machinations
Timestamps: 38:25–43:50
- Hollywood Legal Battles:
- Dissects blown-up lawsuits involving Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively, and high-profile sexual harassment cases.
- “At the end of the day, what’s covering all of the news outlets is that he missed the deadline to appeal. And everybody wants to say that it’s false news... but they’re not telling the truth.” (40:10)
- Pattern Recognition:
- Recurring theme of manipulation, retaliation, and unchecked abuse in powerful circles.
6. Crime, Manipulation, and the Spectacle of Tears
Timestamps: 43:55–46:30
- Jake Harrow Case:
- Received 25 to life for murdering his infant and repeated deception.
- “Psychopaths can turn on tears when they want to. ...Maybe he’s just trying to remember—when I saw somebody cry, what did they do?” (45:45)
- Media & Public Manipulation:
- Cautions listeners to contextualize headlines and doubt narratives shaped by media spectacles.
7. Other Commentary: Sports, Voting, Pop Culture, and Propaganda
Timestamps: 46:35–57:20
- Lighthearted Sports Recap: Dodgers’ World Series win, relates to broader theme of calculation and disappointment in American institutions.
- Voting & Prop 50 (California):
- Not a partisan issue but a referendum on Trump and broken political promises.
- “I voted yes for Prop 50 and that wasn’t a political affiliation. It was because I don’t think Trump is a politician. I don’t think this is a Republican, a Democratic issue. This is a Trump issue.” (51:50)
- Trusted (and Untrusted) News Sources:
- Personal picks for less-biased reporting: Harry Sisson, Jeffrey Mead, Aaron Pernas, and “Unbiased George.”
- Warns about emotional propaganda and urges multi-source information consumption.
8. Global & Societal Warnings: Misogyny and Radicalization
Timestamps: 57:25–01:00:20
- GIMS (Justice for Innocent Men Scotland):
- Calls attention to disturbing pro-rapist groups gaining traction in the UK and their impact on vulnerable young men.
- Misogyny in Media/Entertainment:
- Commentary on how this toxic messaging seeps into adolescent culture (refers to Netflix’s “Adolescence”).
- “This misogyny is grabbing our young men at vulnerable ages... coached by other guys like Nick Fuentes.” (59:00)
- Personal Note: Concerns for a friend stuck in Iran due to government shutdown travel delays.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “This six year old is not normal... He has a pattern that mimics an adult psychopath.” (05:45)
- “What a wonderful behavior plan, Virginia. What a wonderful plan you have put together in your fucking state. Are you fucking serious? Horrific.” (09:00)
- “That’s fucked up in this child. And what does that mean? There’s no moral reasoning... What’s going to stop you from taking someone’s life?” (16:55)
- “You can’t cure a psychopath, right? All you can do is introduce consequences.” (18:25)
- On politics:
- “Selfish, psychopathic, narcissistic. And it shows you exactly what politics is. It’s people in authority who love power... sincerely detached from humanity.” (36:15)
- On celebrity lawsuits:
- “At the end of the day... what stands are BL Lively’s claims that she has been the victim in this. Sorry, guys. That’s just simply the fucking evidence.” (41:30)
- On misinformation and manipulation:
- “At the end of the day, the government is, is shut down. The Epstein files have not been released and people in America can’t eat...” (54:30)
Epilogue: Last Thoughts & Tone
Dr. Leslie wraps up with a mix of sarcasm and genuine concern—reminding listeners to fact-check, seek multiple perspectives, and not get swept up by media narratives. She closes with personal regards for audience well-being and a dry aside to tune in after Election Day for more chaos—and, humorously, to witness her “snatched” look at 4am on Court TV.
(01:01:20)
Useful for listeners:
This episode is a raw, humorous, and incisive journey into the psychology of violence, the failures of institutions, the parade of manipulative personalities in modern society, and why nobody should trust the spin from the powerful—be they six-year-olds with guns, senators with shutdowns, or actors with lawsuits.