What Group, or Time in History, is "Narcissistic"


It's popular to call other groups, not your own and not yourself, narcissistic. "Atheists are narcissistic because they want to live in sin and not suffer the consequences." "Trump is narcissistic, Hitler was narcissistic, etc."

Common is the belief the sexual revolution of the 1960's was narcissistic. Certainly, the "casual sex" associated with the period and Woodstock it could be argued was about personal gratification and not a selfless exercise in serving the common good. That's only true, it seems to me, if you are not doing some critical thinking about other groups of that time. 

I remember a potluck at our church in Fargo during the most turbulent time of the 1960's. I happened to sit by our head preacher whom I liked a lot. We drifted into our views about antiwar protests and the cultural revolution including what we call "hippies." He said he didn't like the counterculture movement because it was so self-centered.

My life at the time was among students and some faculty who had no problem with the changes. I told our preacher these folks had idealism and did not think of themselves as self-centered. They were trying to stop wars and make available lives not glued to corporate conformity. I remember the preacher said no one had pointed that out before and though he did not yet agree with me it was something to ponder.

Since then those hippies have raised children and have grandchildren. No doubt many of them think their children/grandchildren are too loose with their behaviors and values. In my view, behaviors today have neither higher not lower morals than those of the parents of the 1960's "free love" time. Different, yes, but better or worse, who can say?  

Conservative Christianity is about narcissism. What could be more self-centered than lining one's path to heaven. It's the preoccupation of the faith. Better would be to help others and not focus on what you get out of it.

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