By Orange County Dreams [OCD]
There was an article posted here in which some grammar school classmates of Keith Raniere spoke up about his manipulative and superior behavior, even at a young age. I’m sure you will find this fascinating:
Bits and pieces gleaned from articles: Supposedly Keith’s father told one of his girlfriends that Keith began acting like he was God after an intelligence test found he was gifted.
We do know he was an only child and the product of a broken (divorced) home. It is often said his mother was an alcoholic. Maybe she took things out on him behind closed doors (or maybe not). I am skeptical of his claim that he “took care” of her when ill, as I am not aware he has ever shown such a propensity towards anyone. (He takes care of himself, though.)
What we know:
He appears to have grown up in a lovely house and a lovely suburban neighborhood. He attended prestigious schools. (Not a horrendous upbringing, in other words.)
He apparently borrowed a large sum ($50K?) from a college friend and did not repay.
He supposedly stiffed a friend’s grandmother on the rent at an apartment in Troy she was renting him.
His father sued him (or vice versa), for reasons unknown, but probably money.
He cheated on his IQ test.
He lied about his successes and accomplishments.
He fashioned a life for himself as a parasite, so he could sleep, eat, and have sex, while others did the work and paid the bills.
He terrorized ex-girlfriends, ex-colleagues and various upstanding professionals through brutal litigation.
None of this even touches on the sexual abuse of teen girls and adult females.
Yes, the seeds were all planted long ago, in the 1960s, so most documents cannot be found online.
I would not be too quick to blame the parents. I’m sure they, like most other parents, were not perfect. I think it more likely that he was born defective, without empathy or a conscience. There’s no cure for that.

Most human beings would not have empathy or a conscience if they were thrown into the woods as an infant. These things are taught, and Raniere either wasn’t taught and/or he didn’t learn.
Keith was born a narcissist psychopath. There’s no treatment, no cure for what he is. He needs to be removed from society.
AMEN! And, if I may, it wouldn’t be so bad if a few other dangerous, dictatorial psycho’s went down (at least a notch or two) with him. GRR-eat post, Orange.
All this stress can’t be good for Keithy’s erection problem.
Psychopath vs. Sociopath. Many characters in this drama are sociopaths. Keith is the exception.
a good parable for reference would be Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”
OCD! Thank you for this commentary again about Keith’s youth I also read the Epoch Times article some time ago and that’s what piqued my interest regarding what kind of childhood he had and if there were any clues to how he behaves today. It’s an interesting read, so much so, that I also wish we knew even more to fill in some of the gaps. It’s rather ironic that there were some comments about Keith’s early potential where it was said that he was gifted. I guess the proof is in the pudding now because we all are seeing how gifted he was at manipulation and where it got him – MDC. in hindsight, it seems as if it was actually more so a character flaw than a gift. Would still be interesting to know more though. I’m sure it’s only a matter of digging deeper.
Thank you, TK. I originally posted this as a response to one of your comments. I, too, would like to know more. I think at some future date (upon his long imprisonment or death), his victims and associates will at last feel free to share about KAR.
Nice writing. I agree. From accounts I’ve read, same as you’ve read it appears, he was always like this. I believe some people are just born bad.