Narcissism, a discreet violence

Every month, youtuber Ralph Müller delivers his scathing analysis of a phenomenon typical of our times. This month, he tackles the nature of narcissism and its contemporary form.

When we think of violence, we generally think of spectacular violence, which contains within itself the means to stage it. But it may well be that in the West, the most widespread violence is not of this kind. In 1979, Christopher Lasch published The Culture of Narcissism. In it, he analyzed the mutations of American society, marked by a decline in collective values in favor of exacerbated individualism. 

«Assailed by a vague discontent and a feeling of inner emptiness», wrote Lasch, the individual seeks peace in the mirage of a game of looks. Left to his own devices in a hostile, competitive world with no reference points, his own self-fulfillment is a burden he cannot bear.