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Sean Chick's Reviews > The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations
The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations
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A stunning work, written by a man who defies our current definitions of conservative and liberal, which were born in the 1960s. The issues Lasch raises still plague us today because we have elevated capitalism to a religion and the baby boomers, who Lasch consistently blasts, are now in full control. If this book were written in 2012 it would still make sense.
None of this means the book is perfect. Lasch discusses obscure thinkers without describing their ideas. He is too Freudian and his afterword is dismissive towards the obvious thrust of his book: the rise of individualism, for if discussing the fallout from the decay of the family was his goal, then he failed to a degree, for that is never explicitly stated nor given a more prominent place in the text than his other points of discussion. The book seems to be discussing less a world without the family, and more so a world where the progressive and capitalist dreams were turning into iron cages. In that regard Lasch was right, and our poverty of ideas in the face of the current crisis is because of those cages we lavishly built for ourselves.
None of this means the book is perfect. Lasch discusses obscure thinkers without describing their ideas. He is too Freudian and his afterword is dismissive towards the obvious thrust of his book: the rise of individualism, for if discussing the fallout from the decay of the family was his goal, then he failed to a degree, for that is never explicitly stated nor given a more prominent place in the text than his other points of discussion. The book seems to be discussing less a world without the family, and more so a world where the progressive and capitalist dreams were turning into iron cages. In that regard Lasch was right, and our poverty of ideas in the face of the current crisis is because of those cages we lavishly built for ourselves.
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Reading Progress
July 10, 2012
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Started Reading
July 10, 2012
– Shelved
September 21, 2012
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Finished Reading
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AJ
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Oct 16, 2017 04:19PM
There's a lot of talk about millennials, but the boomers got us where we are.
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I am a millennial, but one from the early cohort. Why do they get so much hate?
I would have never guessed, you must be a throwback to “the greatest generation�
How so? Generational theory and ideas are intriguing all the same.
I'll hold my tongue on that, I'm sure you wouldn't have to search hard to find out heh... plus I'd rather refrain from judgement, since I hate being boxed in myself. Gen X, but both sets of my grandparents who grew up during the Great Depression made a major impression on me.
Honestly, I feel unmoored lately and adrift.Generational theory is interesting. It does not explain individuals so well, but I find it holds with large cohorts, so long as variation is considered (older and younger boomers have some big differences). I am an old millennial. As such I fell a lot of kinship with X.
So if you don't hold your tongue, it would be of some interest. If you do, no harm and no foul.
Well I don't think I need to add to the criticism of Millennials is all, but take my allusion to The Greatest Generation as a compliment. Of course if you ask my elders who are Boomers they can tell you things about The Greatest Generation that weren't so great.
One I have heard about and experienced was extreme reticence. To be sure though, boomers are condescending towards all generations.
Sean wrote: "One I have heard about and experienced was extreme reticence."Heh.
Sean wrote: "To be sure though, boomers are condescending towards all generations."
Many have no room to talk. If anyone's going to take the blame for societal decay the Boomers sure kicked it off.
Boomer "arrogance" towards every generational cohort but their own is one of the dominant negative features of their generation, right along with a massive material greed (big gulp, SUVs, collectables).At least they were pretty good though at music and making movies.
Did they invent the big gulp? I thought that was us?
Starting in the 1980s food portions exploded, and the trend accelerated as boomers became the leadership in various companies.
It is interesting as the industry capital accelerated towards plastics and disposable consumerism, we also had a move towards "nutrition", and environment. I think generational theory to some extent is a broad brush, we could probably break things down in greater clarity by ideological evolution.
Every age contains the critique of itself. In the 1980s capitalism became "cool" again and yet many films featured corporate villains, such as Robocop and Action Jackson. Suburbs expanded even as they became stock settings for horror films such as Poltergeist and The Gate.
