Vanity On The Rise?
 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/02....ap/index.html

Personally, I think the psychologists giving the test were narcissists themselves. "Everybody is self-centered but me (or 'my generation') " should be one of the questions on the Narcissist Personality Inventory. Especially when one wrote a book entitled "Generation Me" with the cliched, "these kids have it so good these days, in MY day...!"

But really, I CAN live my life any way I want to (non-illegal, anyway), I AM a special person, unless special means completely unique, which is silly (some people probably do believe no one else is anything like them). As for "if I ruled the world, it would be a better place", I could probably do as good a job as the mooks in charge of it right now. :D But I will admit I don't have the credentials and qualifications, and every time I try to come up with a scenario where I solve the problems of the world it inevitably involves me being a dictatorial despot, which is bad as well, so really, it wouldn't be a better place.

What do you think? Do people have too high a self-esteem? Are we full of ourselves?

EDIT: Oh, and apparently the one I think is a narcissist is Jean Twenge. Re-reading the article I noticed everything she said was, well, assholish. If that is a word.

Well, if I'm any indication...

Really though, heres what I see pratically daily.

Total disrespect for authority. People who think they can do what they want when they want. People who won't listen to others. People who think they're better and laud it.

I don't think its narcissism behind all of this. Just some of it. The majority of the gifted students in my school behave this way when they don't deserve to. Especially the upper classes. I'm not saying they're stupid, but they aren't everything they think they are. Highschool teachers promote that behavior. Teachers tell them they're smart, and that gets them full of themselves. I use them as an example because they all seriously act the same way. Arrogant without modesty, placing value on what they have that others don't.

The rest, I would have to say, is just youth and pettiness brought by immaturity.

What a load! I know I'm better than everyone else, and if I ruled the world, I'd destroy it utterly--just out of spite. Take that, God!

But in all seriousness, I think this is just a by-product of the rugged-individual, super-capitalist "self-made man" philosophy that's been echoed throughout our society since the dawn of the Industrial Age.

Fuck authority. Since when have the leaders of this country been right? The so-called "leaders" are telling everyone what to do while they are getting away with the most heinous shit on the planet. Hypocrites. Authority is based on the lie of democracy. I have no need for it, and will never respect it.

People pretty much CAN do what they want when they want--as long as they are able to accept the consequences.

I actually have to agree with the statements the article makes on the whole, especially:

This describes most of my roommates to the letter. Me, mine, more plays a much bigger part of society today than ever before, heck it's what is advertised to us all daily. Selflessness is not something many young people exhibit today.

The fact of the matter is that we are all told that we're special and that we are unique. Even if we weren't told this, would people in general believe that they are decidedly inferior? I know that governing the world would be a pain in the ass, but I still believe that were I in control the world would be better. Probably just for me, but better.

Also, by the time someone has made it into a college, it's generally assumed that they are better than everyone who couldn't make it. Is it really so surprising that they think that they're better than anyone who couldn't make the cut? Or that students in their final years think that they're better than those who dropped out because it was too hard? Sure, it's arrogant, but to some degree it's also accurate.

See, that kind of thinking gets the world absolutely nowhere. Unless people have respect for authority, nothing better than an anarchy will ever form. I can understand not liking, or even despising, the current authority, but no matter how flawed, it is still a democracy, and voting and working to make it a better authority works a hell of a lot better than saying authority means nothing. Authority isn't based on democracy, it's the only way to ever keep a society running, and if you want to abandon that, then by all means, go ahead.

I think the biggest diffrence between this generation and the onw before it is that we have thrown out blind acceptance.

Authoratative respect is earned not entitled.

How do you expect the common man to respect the individuals who they voted for when there is rampant evidence of voter tampering and ballot stuffing in our own government.

If you believe that everyone who is in power now deserves it and respect than you are just like this article niave.

What about the mitigating factors?

Relationships: Our generation is one step removed from a male dominated society and one more step removed from a white-male dominated society. To say that relationships are not as stable as they were is a slap in the face to anyone who looks at the entire picture. Women actually leave men now, they can get a divorce and not endure the eternal shame of family.

People are trying inconventional family structures, as are children being born and raised (happy and healthy I might add) out of wed-lock and people are realizing that they do not need someone else to make them feel complete. So people stop settling.

And as to authority is what keeps society running, theres this little thing called Communism. Although it would never work, a complete communistic ideal is just that, without authority.

So yeah, I have no respect for the incompetent people who have inherited power.

So yeah, I have actual ill-feelings towards those who buy power with monwy

And yeah, just becouse you have authority does not mean you get my respect, being a devent human being does.

Thats what we call a move up in human society, when people are judged ON THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER, not on the titles they have.

I think Mark Twain summed it up best:

I didn't say anything about everyone giving authoritative respect to everyone in power. That clearly wouldn't work, and would lead to incredile abuse of power. I was commenting on adamark's saying that he hated all authority. Without any authority at all, society would collapse. That was my point, not that all authority is good authority.