Publisher’s Thoughts
In 1979, Christopher Lasch published the epochal The Culture of Narcissism warning of the normalizing of narcissism in our society. Lasch may have understated it. 35 years later, in the Obama era with its parade of endless, often inexplicable, scandals we have a full-blown epidemic of what has recently been called Moral Narcissism.
Forget Narcissus and his reflection, Moral Narcissism the almost schizophrenic divide between intentions and results now pervading our culture is the new method for feeling good about yourself. It no longer matters how anything turns out as long as your intentions were good, that you were moral. And, just as importantly, the only determinant of those intentions, the only one who defines that morality, is you.
I Know Best goes beyond Lasch to lay bare how this moral narcissism is behind all those scandals from Obamacare to the Veteran’s Administration to the IRS, Benghazi, Bergdahl, Syria and beyond. Everything the Obama administration did and does was about making them feel good about themselves, the results be damned.
And they have as their allies those supreme moral narcissists in the academy, media and Hollywood, ever willing to ratify those good intentions and ignore those same results.
But I Know Best is not just about the Left. Moral Narcissism affects the right as well, even when they don’t realize it. It is a true epidemic that must be cured in order to save our democratic republic and our futures.
Staff Thoughts
For me, this book was a tough read. It is very frustrating to read a book that makes one feel vindicated when I didn’t write it. Roger Simon has hit the proverbial bullseye with this tome. He gives so many examples of what moral narcissism is, it was overwhelming. I do however recommend this book to all. Even though the people with a high infection of moral narcissism will hate is.
Two meaningful quotes to me:
“Moral narcissism is the enemy of change because it is the enemy of clear thinking. Therefore, it is the enemy of democracy, because without the possibility of change, that form of government, republican or not, cannot exist—or more precisely, if it exists, it exists in name only, as in the Democratic Republic of North Korea.”
“Moral narcissism is the very petri dish of evil.”
