Rampant Narcisism

I just finished reading the book The Narcisism Epidemic by Jean Twenge and Keith Campbell. Never have I read a book which more succinctly summed up the frustrations I feel about modern life. I didn't have a name for what I saw, but now I do. A brillliant woman I once knew who was a spiritual director and counselor once said that naming is the first step to empowerment. Naming what I see today as narcisim is the first step to empowerment. The authors truly sum up the entire narcissistic generation, who view their moment of fame, their moment in the spotlight as the penultimate grace of their lives instead of the shallow and fetid monstrosity that it is.

I loathe celebrities.  I find their vapid, silly meanderings the worst sort of entertainment.  What have ANY of these so-called "celebrities" done except exhibit bad behavior? Paris Hilton? Lindsay Lohan? Snookie? (what the heck kind of name is that anyway?)

I refuse to watch narcissistic twits act rudely towards the world.

This seriously curtails my entertainment options. The only so-called "reality" shows I watch are those in which people actually DO something - Top Chef  (cooking), Ghost Hunters (paranormal exploration), Project Runway (fashion design).  And even those shows are subject to shameless manipulation.We see personalities pitted against each other instead of cooknig skills, for instance, on Top Chef, and in seasons past, the entire "Brian is a screwup" theme  on Ghost Hunters wore thin and smacked of producer manipulation and machination. Sure, Brian got into trouble, but what about Steve making Tango wear a child's tiara on an investigation?  Wasn't that juvenile too? No, Brian on Ghost Hunters got pinned as the bad guy. Every story needs its villain.

Celebrity watching has reached a vapid epidemic high in our culture. No matter which news outlet you turn to these days, all the latest celebs are featured.  What used to be a harmless fantasy world has become the all-consuming passion of our culture.

The book brings forth some uncomfortable truths.  Youngsters today are raised on the phony "everyone is special!' criteria which to the uneducated mind makes it sound as if everyone is important. Everyone is unique, to be sure, but there are still value judgments applied to people's contributions to society. Kids fed the phony message that they are all worthy of praise  grow up to be narcissistic junkies, as the book points out, believing they are ENTITLED to everything.  (watch me run around with my hands in the air, screaming). Each person is unique, to be sure; but that they have special contributions to society remains to be seen.

This book raised enormous questions for me, many without answer.

• When will we as a nation grow up? When will realize that there is no such thing as a 'free lunch?"
• When will we stop supporting 'entitlements?" What are you 'entitled to' besides air as part of your birthright, anyway? For the entire span of human history, mankind has has to work for his food, clothing and shelter.  When will people stop thinking they are 'entitled' to many things?
• When will people realize that our elders had wisdom to teach us? Thriftiness, family values, humbleness, piety...these were values that stood us in good stead for CENTURIES.  Why throw them all out now?

What makes today different from yesterday?

Nothing, in my book.

I refuse to give one second of my time to celebrities. Thriftiness, piety, family...these are virtues I support.

What do you think? Narcissism? Materialism?  What do you think is wrong today?