Charles J. Sykes Quote
[A] society that insists on stressing self-expression over self-control generally gets exactly what it deserves. The sulking teenager who insists, It's not fair! is not referring to a standard of equity and justice that any ethicist would recognize. He is, instead, giving voice to the vaguely conceived but firmly held conviction that the world in general and his family in particular serve no legitimate function except to supply his immediate needs and desires. In a culture that celebrates self-absorption and instant gratification, however, this selfishness quickly becomes a dominant and persistent theme. No wonder, then, that the rage of the eternal victim--both black and white, male and female, abled and disabled--is so often expressed in the plaintive cry of disappointed adolescence. When I refer to America's youth culture, I do not mean merely one that worships the young. I mean a culture that refuses to grow up.
[A] society that insists on stressing self-expression over self-control generally gets exactly what it deserves. The sulking teenager who insists, It's not fair! is not referring to a standard of equity and justice that any ethicist would recognize. He is, instead, giving voice to the vaguely conceived but firmly held conviction that the world in general and his family in particular serve no legitimate function except to supply his immediate needs and desires. In a culture that celebrates self-absorption and instant gratification, however, this selfishness quickly becomes a dominant and persistent theme. No wonder, then, that the rage of the eternal victim--both black and white, male and female, abled and disabled--is so often expressed in the plaintive cry of disappointed adolescence. When I refer to America's youth culture, I do not mean merely one that worships the young. I mean a culture that refuses to grow up.
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