Like any category of people, some of highly effective and some are highly ineffective. Many are highly ineffective as you described, and their better DT traits are marred by short-sightedness, hedonism, need for validation / compliance from others, financial woes, and addiction. Others are running the country, managing hedge funds, top 1%er salespeople, and so on. There's no black and white way to see this - surgeons tested highest for psychopathy out of all of the careers in one study, and it makes sense. I want someone with emotion disassociation who views my body the same way as a expert sushi chef may view a bluefin tuna - his DT trait is letting him excel at a job that would overwhelm most normal people.

I completely agree that TRP, particularly younger members, use DT as a label for the stupidest things. There is a problem with positive misconceptions of DTs, but this is also a problematic negative conception of DTs, it's just the inverse of what the other camp is doing.

It is also a reminder that DT is about a coupling of 3 traits. A psychopath isn't necessarily DT, nor is a narcissist. I know many narcissists who are highly empathetic and emotional - we call them women. All jokes aside though, there are highly manipulative people who are deeply moral and motivated by their empathy for others, not at all psychopathic. Their machiavellianism is driven and rationalized by a need to achieve something positive for the "greater good" or for some marginalized group.

TRP sees these individuals with ONE outstanding DT trait and they use it as an example of DT behavior. That's not really helping anyone develop an understanding of DT.

Not all DTs have all 3 traits in strong abundance, but most have different levels of all 3, with all present to at least a minor, but significant degree. The traits, when all present, do work well together. Psychopathy without narcissism, however, often is pretty bad as the individual does not have the self-love to improve and create himself as better than others. When you look at DTs who employ each trait in amounts that function together, they generally are very successful.