If you would have asked me in the 90’s for one word to characterize the unraveling of contemporary society, I would have said materialism. If you would have asked the same question to my conservative parents back in the 70’s they would have said liberalism. Fifty years later, my own answer is different but similar: narcissism.
Here I’m not mainly referring to that overtly clinical and pathological condition called Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but instead to a new cultural paradigm that has infected most Americans today, in my daily observation. An extremely disordered emphasis on: status, physical appearance, mental fitness, to the marginalization of moral character, ethical and professional behavior, social decency, and often traditional religious faith.
It would take a very wise exorcist or psychologist to break down the complexities of how evil and all-reaching this cultural phenomenon has become.
A cultural narcissism that reveres celebrities, pop cultural icons. That grossly confuses rights with entitlement. That is rights devoid of responsibility to others. Therefore entitlement without real justice towards others. Which by definition is what most would recognize as evil.
The kind of narcissism that values a person for how much social media presence, online “friends,” views, and likes they get. For how superficially nice and politically correct they sound. For their mastery of the latest lexicon of positivistic social buzz words and phrases like “awesome,” “no worries,” or “amazing.”
And, bearing a cultural disposition that runs opposite to this current of cultural narcissism, no matter how well educated or authentically sociable you are, makes you look like an anti-social weirdo. In a society that constantly equates Appearances with Reality, then that will invariably be the perceived reality.
And perceived anti-social weirdos, even if in objective reality they are not but quite the opposite, will only suffer socially and economically. Whereas a narcissist is fueled by narcissistic supply, where their self-esteem builds from being venerated as superior by their peers. the narcissist likewise needs to tear down the non-narcissists and non-enablers with narcissistic rage.
Narcissistic rage plays out constantly in the most sophisticated and complex ways in contemporary social circles, especially the work place, with a meanness and harshness that makes high school bullying look minor in comparison.
This narcissistic rage is usually cold and calm, calculated, and conniving. It is insidious but deliberate. It has learned the subtle yet surgically precise art of psychological manipulation to their advantage. Gas-lighting being a prime example. And the non-materalistic, not-pathologically-self-centered simple individual, especially the religiously conservative Christian kind, is a sitting duck in this dynamic.
You could take an alternative route. Live and work in a rural area of a conservative state. Homeschool or send your kids to a trad school, relocate to Clear Creek monastery or St. Mary’s in Kansas, etc, cancel Netflix, start your own Catholic family business, but you won’t escape this new paradigm.
The new paradigm of secularist culture is the ever growing dominance of social media, hedonistic values, PC culture promoting entitlement, and an exponentially growing super-focus on superficial externals. It is a kind of oppressive collectivist socialism where simple Average Joes and plain working class families are more and more treated like lepers.
And with the unrolling of the next waves of new social media, technology, and PC culture, this is only going to get worse.
Ironically, most are not overt narcissists of the Hollywood variety. Most are actually average Americans with average looks and intelligence, most of whom feel pressured to succumb to narcissism on a daily basis. And most do.
I confess I have, at moments, as we all have.
But it is the minority, not a tiny perecentage either, who have willingly promoted cultural narcissism by making gods out of career advancement, a six figure income, six pack abs, and superficial social acceptance. These are the group leaders, managers, executives, politicians. In the name of their own narcissistic path of conquest, they have created a national culture of narcissism through government support, gross commercialism, social media, etc.
Yet it is the majority of us who go along with it, on some level still subscribe to it, refuse to speak out or go against the current, whether that be in our family, social, church, or work circles. Especially the latter.
Because according to the new paradigm the end is no longer God, or the State, or Society, or the Family, or Democracy, etc.
Rather the new paradigm is the Self.
And that, readers, is diabolical. Even if you don’t believe in the devil, a world that holds gratifying the Self as the ultimate end is pathological. It is no less oppressive and socially destructive than communism under Russia or China. And in the end, that deified Self only devolves into destructive behavior, inner discord, and despair.
I’ve read recently a couple books about the current problem of narcissism, but a good place to start are insightful talks by Jordan Peterson on the subject.
In conclusion, in my observation, cultural narcissism is the new post-modern paradigm of bringing down what Christian culture did exist before the cultural revolution of the 60s. Being more subtle but culturally lethal than the superficial, explicit materialism of the 90’s, this pandemic needs to be understood, and remedies given.
For example, instead of focusing on developing self-esteem, treat that as secondary; instead focus on the development of your spiritual and moral character. Instead of focusing on wealth, advancement, and how cool you look, focus instead on your responsibilities, especially those to God and your family.
And the perennial remedy always remains: traditional Catholic Christianity. To imitate the Saints, and the simple life of the Holy Family.