Lasch

This is Sarah. Before reading the notes on The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch, I perceived a narcissistic person to be defined as someone that is conceited and puts oneself on a pedestal above others. In his book, Lasch puts a dark spin on narcissism. He states, "Narcissism is not self-love and self-aggrandizement, but inner emptiness. It is a condition present in everyone, but brought out by certain social conditions." The biggest cause of the modern day narcissist undoubtedly is technology. The invention of the internet and other breakthrough technologies have been revolutionary to our society, however they have left its people isolated and distant.
Over this past weekend, I went to my restaurant with my family for dinner. We were having a pleasant dinner until another family was seated next to us. A mother was seated with her two children that looked as though they were eight years old. As soon as they sat down, the mother started talking on her cell phone while one of her daughters was texting (she's eight!) and the other was playing with her nintendo. During dinner, I could not stop staring at them. They barely said two words to each other the time. It was so upsetting. This is the emptiness that Lasch was describing. In today's society, very few things are personal. Everything is about efficiency and "time is money."
I feel as though this "emptiness" also stems from the social pressure to acquire material things. While I was in elementary school no one my age had a cell and now it is a common luxury for second graders to have. Parents feel pressure from the media and society to provide their children with whatever they desire. Every six months there is a new ipod that they have to buy. This has truly gotten out of control and I have not noticed a change even with the recent recession.