"The worst psychological state is a superiority complex coupled with an inferior status."
--Jagdish Bhagwati, economist
Self-esteem is in the news again, sort of. President Obama has cut NASA space projects while charging the organization to "...engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering."
Yeah, let's ignore all that stabby, explodie clitorectomy stuff and focus on ancient history...
The Self-Esteem movement has damn near wrecked this country. Maybe this is a secret plan to destroy the Muslim world?
As I sat through another interminable middle school award ceremony that lasted longer than the contest itself, I pondered how the self-esteem movement has wrecked this country. I had plenty of time since well-meaning adults were handing out participation medals to every eager participant, as the parents clapped themselves raw.
Our current financial calamity is the logical result of the self-esteem movement.
Don't get me wrong, I think self-esteem is wonderful when sprung from a healthy self-image and buoyed by real accomplishments. But like diversity, it is worthless when pursued for its own sake.
Defense Failure
Presidents Clinton and Bush were full of self-esteem as terrorists plotted the 9/11 attacks under the noses of our clueless but confident alphabet soup bureaucracies. The attacks themselves dented no one's esteem. Richard Clarke was the only government official to feel any blame and apologize as far as I can remember. President Bush awarded CIA Director George Tenant a medal for crying out loud!
Financial Failure
Politicians of all all stripes are arrogant and proud as interest on the national debt and entitlement spending slowly, blob-like, consume the federal budget. And now the private sector and state governments follow suit with stumblebum mismanagement that has wrecked the nation's economy. Finally, individual citizens soil themselves after gorging on credit, new cars and McMansions. And mommy government will pick them up and clean them off. Don't want them to feel bad...
Like spoiled children in a no-fault world, this endless chain of fools lines up to receive participation prizes.
Congress responds by creating bailouts and rewards for participation based on the advice of the same geniuses who caused the debacle.
This is how unbridled, unwarranted self-esteem destroys a culture that once believed in personal responsibility, thrift and self-reliance.
Self-esteem is turning this country into a colossal failure. Our car manufacturers are going broke while Japanese companies move in and make a profit, on our soil, with American workers. This shows that the average American still knows how to work and achieve, but our leaders and managers are egotistical losers too stupid to leverage it. What has any government agency or public enterprise done right in the last 8, 16, 20 years?
I could give a damn whether our next president is the messiah or the anti-Christ; all I want is competence from my government and our public institutions. If that's too much to ask, could they at least stop rewarding failure?
It's high time that people who screw up got the good old-fashioned ego-destroying, ass-kicking they deserve.
Did you lose a billion dollars today? Then your self-esteem should be crappy, and by the way, you're fired!
Bought more house and more car than you can afford? Looks like you may need to find a cardboard box underneath the interstate off-ramp. Your fellow citizens won't be paying for your stupidity.
You're a failure. Want a self-esteem builder? You can start by cleaning up your own mess. Our nation is out of balance: We have a surplus of self-esteem and a deficit of personal responsibility. Third-world countries are made of this.
11 comments:
>it is worthless when pursued for its own sake.
And impossible to achieve. The search for self-esteem is the most futile quest imaginable. The search for self-esteem actually increases the hunger for self-esteem, and the search never catches up to the hunger.
One of the most detrimental self-help movements has been the rise of what I call the "Cult of Self-esteem." The search for self-esteem is a fundamentally self-centered activity. Depression (even when there are physiological factors) is also a self-centered disease. Depressed individuals needs to be less focused on themselves, in particular on their emotions, but the worship of the elusive self-esteem god makes them more intensely focused on themselves than ever.
You are exactly right when you point out actual accomplishment as the way to a better self image. (I think it's actually confidence, rather than self-esteem, though.)
One of the wisest things I have ever heard was the response of a father to a letter from his son who was overseas serving as a missionary and was feeling discouraged and a bit sorry for himself. After acknowledging reception of the son's letter, the father wrote simply "I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work."
I think a multitude of ills in the world could be healed if we all heeded that counsel.
So true, Bastaitarian...
We've become very me-centered, and that is not healthy.
I remember reading somewhere about a young writer interviewing Reagan and those around him for an article or a book.
The young man was asking introspective type questions to Reagan that required deep self analysis and the young man lamented that these self-centered touchy-feely questions seemed to just not compute with Reagan, and he found the same in George Schultz and others around him.
An astute observer opined that it was generational. These men were raised to hitch up their pants and get on with it, not sit around and navel gaze all day.
Well said! Indulgent parents are helping to propigate this narcissim in their own homes. It is easy to fall into the trap...you want what is best for little Munchkin, so you make him the center of your universe. He soon learns that what he wants is more important than nearly anything else in the world, so voila!, a little narcissist is created.
I really think that we have one of those little narcissists in the White House, and our society is creating generations of them through public education. We don't risk bending their little psyches by giving them the "D" that they have earned, but rather we "stroke" them with a "B+," after all, they tried, didn't they? Isn't effort as important as success? We spend hours of their school day TELLING them how important and unique they are, and then everything we DO reinforces the idea that they are just like everyone else...nothing notable or special. They all get encouraging grades, participation trophies, pats on the back for "trying." We are turning out children with egos, but with an "everything is hopeless" attitude. They are not being allowed to excel and then be recognized or rewarded for their excellence. Look at how school classes are conducted today. When I was in school, we worked on our own, and we had an individual school desk. Now kids sit at tables in groups and everything they do is as a group. No one child is allowed to shine because of his own efforts, the group moves forward because they work together. While that sounds nice (the concept of working together), it eliminates individual excellence AND individual responsibility. Don't misunderstand, please. I'm not advocating that we discourage working together, but we need a balance. I don't think that that is happening, in general, today.
We are, in practice, turning many children into self-centered, demanding little egomaniacs. We are demonizing competition and individualism and turning out millions of children who will not know how to excel, but will be ill-equipped to deal with their own mediocrity. The teachers' unions and progressives have done their jobs well, and our society is suffering for it.
Very Good Post, Silverfiddle. Too Bad I'm so Tired because you are Quite Thought Provoking and so are your Commenters.
There are Probably a Million Things that I could Say, but here is One Thought. I've had a History of Depression and Many People Told me Things such as "Snap Out of It", "Just Do It" and the Like, but I couldn't Ever Figure Out how to Rid myself of the Depression. When I Tried to be Productive in spite of how I Felt, I just Felt Depressed and Well, Actually sort of Angry, even in the Midst of the Productivity.
It's Hard to Explain and I'm not Really Looking for Sympathy, yet...
I Don't Know. I do Agree with some of what has been Said Here, but I'm just Tired Today and Can't Think Right Now.
Besides. I've Got a Couple of Liberals on my Blog that are Trying to Convince me that Obama's Plan is not Nationalized Medicine, that Obama is not a Socialist and that High Taxes do not Hurt the Economy. Both of these Guys Sound Really Smart, but I'm not Buying it. Come by if you're Interested in Setting them Straight for me. I'd Love that. They are Starting to Drive me a Little Nuts.
The Post is About Assuming Motives and False Assumptions.
Please don't take this as a jab against people with clinical conditions like the depression you suffer from, Lista.
Winston Churchill was an extremely accomplished man, and the "black dog" stalked him his whole life.
It's just time people who screw up start paying for it.
The Depression isn't as Bad as it was. I've Found that there are some Religious Ideas that do Work, such as Forgiveness and Gratitude, yet there is a lot that Doesn't Work, even though it seems as if Every One Around me Thinks it Should. I Could Write Volumes on this Subject, yet have had Only Small Intervals of Time on the Computer so Far, as I've been Visiting your Blog.
I did a post here on depression...
http://ontologicalangst.blogspot.com/2009/08/depression-has-already-started.html
Interesting you found my "dark side," where I post longer, deeper material. As you can see, I haven't had time to post here lately.
I do not suffer clinical depression, but I am prone to bouts of being down. This has lessened in recent years as I have realized I am very idealistic, I want it all to be perfect! This sets me up for certain disappointment.
I have learned to take life as it comes and enjoy it, messiness and all.
I was in the military and I learned this from post-deployment counseling. When we're away from the family for long periods we tend to idealize the wife and kids, forgetting the dirty diapers, little annoyances, etc.
We envision this picture perfect Hollywood homecoming and everyone is stressed trying to make it all perfect. This sets us up for stress, tension, and ultimately failure.
Taking it as it comes, loving others as they are, and enjoying life with all its messiness is a gift from God, and I pray for it everyday.
I pray you will learn how to overcome your depression as well, Lista.
Hi Silverfiddle,
I have this Horrible Habit of not Paying Attention to Dates when I Respond to Posts. Occasionally, I will Post on a New, or at Least New to me, Blog and after being Ignored for awhile, I go Back and Realize that the Blog is more than 2 Years Old. This is when I Feel Silly, cause I really should have Paid Attention and Known that the Blog Author may be Absent on such an Old Blog.
On the Other Hand, I sort of Dislike the Whole Idea that Blog Posts should have Time Deadlines and that Once they Reach a Certain Age, you are not Allowed to Express an Opinion on that Topic any More. I'm Slow and Thinking Things Through Deeply Takes Time.
I'd Love to Read your Post on Depression. Unfortuately, Ever Sense the Beginning of the Christmas Season I have been Getting Behind on my Reading and even now that I'm Back, I'm so Far Behind that I Get Confused about what I should and Shouldn't Read.
I'm not sure how Long I'm going to Continue to Feel that Way. I Visited Two New Blogs, though, in Spite of that; yours and Dmarks. Mostly it's because I've been Around Liberals too Much Lately and Want to Hear more from the Other Perspective.
You Appear to be somewhat of a Deep Thinker. Such is Prone to Depression. Put Simply, We "Think too Much." lol. This isn't Taught, though, it is just a Personality Type Know as Melancholy and it is not to be seen as a Negative, for Thinkers are just as Important as Doers.
My Dad Used to say that Once you Learn that Life it Lumpy, you can Learn to Enjoy it. lol. Cute Huh?
I'm going to Try and Keep in Touch with you on your Blog, yet Don't Worry if you do not Post that much because I'm Slow anyway and Daily Bloggers do nothing more the Bury me in their Dust.
No problem Lista. I think I'd like your dad...
Oh, and as for the age stamp on blogs, I should take them off here, because my idea here is to kind of be timeless by discussing issues that don't "expire"
I Agree that Issues are Timeless, yet I Like the Time Stamp because if I Refer to a Specific Above Comment, since they are not Numbered, sometimes it's Handy to Refer to them by Author and Date.
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