You don't have to be mentally ill to be these things. Considering the type of people that rule our world
(
) it seems that the most well adjusted people in our society are not only more than capable of being this, it seems like a requirement.
So I am no longer comfortable using the word psychopath (or any other "dark triad" nonsense) to describe these types of people. These people aren't struggling to function with a mental illness, they're of the exact mindset that thrives in our backwards society.
However I'm struggling to think of a suitable replacement word that carries with it the same "This is serial killer coded shit" vibe that calling someone a psychopath carries (and associating such a thing with psychopaths is ableist so I don't want to use the word in that way anymore)
Calling them ghouls, fascists or nazis doesn't carry the same weight. What kind of word bests describes the casual, dangerous heartlessness of people without throwing the mentally ill under the bus?
I agree with the other commenters who say phrases are better.
With single words, for it to have punch it has to be uncommonly used like a slur or a "smart" word.
Slurs aren't an option for obvious reasons and most "smart words" fall short because no one knows what they mean (the exception are words like "ingrate" which vaguely sound like a slur but are actually just "smart words").
Even with phrases, it can be tricky. Quips like "fatherless behavior" are funny even amongst those with a dad sized hole in their heart- but you risk hurting people all the same.
One thing that works for me is to make uncomfortable comparisons:
Being laughed at ostensibly can be worse than being called any slur, I like the above examples because they have a pretty good chance of igniting laughter in a group setting. Getting other people in the room to clown on your target is a quick way to shut them down. And the pain of social ostracization is one that lingers for a long time.
I assumed "featherless behavior" was a stand-in for the n-word. At least that's how I've seen it used. Similarly to how TikTok users would say "basketball people".