A child's appetite for new toys appeal to the desire for ownership and appropriation: the appeal of toys comes to lie not in their use but in their status as possessions. Christopher Lasch
A growing awareness of the depth of popular attachment to the family has led some liberals to concede that family is not just a buzzword for reaction. Christopher Lasch
A society that has made "nostalgia" a marketable commodity on the cultural exchange quickly repudiates the suggestion that life in the past was in any important way better than life today. Christopher Lasch
Adherents of the new religious right reject the separation of politics and religion, but they bring no spiritual insights to politics. Christopher Lasch
Because it equates tradition with prejudice, the left finds itself increasingly unable to converse with ordinary people in their common language. Christopher Lasch
Conservatives have no understanding of modern capitalism. They have a distorted understanding of the traditional values they claim to defend. Christopher Lasch
Drugs are merely the most obvious form of addiction in our society. Drug addiction is one of the things that undermines traditional values. Christopher Lasch
George Orwell's contention was that it is a sure sign of trouble when things can no longer be called by their right names and described in plain, forthright speech. Christopher Lasch
Ideologies, however appealing, cannot shape the whole structure of perceptions and conduct unless they are embedded in daily experiences that confirm them. Christopher Lasch
In an individualistic culture, the narcissist is God's gift to the world. In a collectivist society, the narcissist is God's gift to the collective. Christopher Lasch
It is no longer an unwritten law of American capitalism that industry will attempt to maintain wages at a level that allows a single wage to support a family. Christopher Lasch
