cultural narcissism

In the culture of Narcissism, Christopher Lasch defines a narcssistic culture as one in which every activity and relationship is defined by the hedonistic need to acquire the symbols of wealth, this becoming the only expression of rigid, yet covert, social hierachies. It is a culture where liberalism only exists insofar as it serves a consumer society, and even art, sex and religion lose their libertaing power.
In such a society of constant competition, there can be no allies, and little transparency. The threats to aqquisitions of social symbols are so numerous, varied and frequently incomprehensible, that definsiveness aswell as competitiveness, becomes a way of life. Any real sense of community is undermined- or even destroyed- to be replaced with virtual equivilants, that strive unsuccessfully, to sythesize a sense of community.
this is simply devastating.