Sherlock Holmes Is Not a Psychopath, Anderson

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Sherlock Holmes Is Not a Psychopath, Anderson

Of course not -- we know that. :D I feel terribly like I could write a great deal just on a few of the lines in that vid.

Sherlock's summoned John. Why? Well, because... That caressing reply that Sherlock makes to John ("There's no hurry") sounds like a purr.


I should thwap Sherlock on a regular basis were I John. I just would. I distinctly recall a friend two decades ago pointing out to me that he wouldn't let my being female stop him if I hit him; it was an antisocial habit of mine instead of saying stuff like "Shut up!" all the time. And strangely enough, I became somewhat less obnoxious after that.

Sherlock mightn't need constant thwapping. But it does seem that his ability to notice other people's reactions as valuable is impaired. Versus just as useful data.


Boundaries. Sherlock has an awful inability to recognize boundaries. It's not just manipulation. I say this with a big half-smile on my face, which is not what you might expect.

Lord, he really is like a thirteen-year-old boy. Not fourteen. Isaac Asimov explains the difference in one of the Black Widower mysteries. At age thirteen, a boy hasn't been pummeled enough, hence he is full of himself and extremely obnoxious. By age fourteen, the boy has annoyed enough people who have taught him to be a little more cautious and [one hopes] less antisocial. If you're wondering, at age twelve the boy will be a little less forward.

I am paraphrasing, but you can actually tell a kid of that age. I remember explaining this to a thirteen-year-old boy that I didn't know -- and his mother. I'd never met them before. I'm not sure which was more thrown, the boy or his mother. It's harder to be sure when you know kids well and their ages; are you observing the behavior because you know, or observing the behavior without prejudice?

I'd be pleased to hear other people's thoughts on this. Recognizing that Asimov was as much a know-it-all as Ellery Queen or Sherlock, it'd be... interesting.


About that video's final piece: Poor John! The look of shock on his face is priceless.

Martin Freeman, you are amazing. Thank you so much.

And Mike: "Yep, he's always like that." Mike must have been a genius.