the religious right similarly failed to address the root…
““the religious right similarly failed to address the root causes of societal decline: “Adherents of the new religious right correctly reject the separation of politics and religion, but they bring no spiritual insights to politics. They campaign for political reforms designed to discourage homosexuality and pornography, say, but they have nothing to tell us about the connection between pornography and the larger consumerist structure of addiction maintenance.”49 Like the religious right, Lasch was concerned by the breakdown of the traditional family and the degree to which children were now raised by day care workers, but he argued that this was an inevitable result of a free-market culture that devalued unpaid work, such as taking care of one’s own children.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Culture of Narcissism, Christopher Lasch, 1979
The religious right focuses on moral reforms without addressing deeper economic and cultural forces that shape behavior, especially consumerist addiction and undervaluing of unpaid care work.
In simple terms: Moral reforms ignore deeper economic and cultural causes.
Key Takeaway
Address root economic and cultural drivers, not just moral issues.
Themes
family
culture
economics
politics
care work
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
sociological
commentary
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- social research
- parenting
- community building
Key Concepts
consumerism
addiction
unpaid labor
social decay
Questions to Reflect On
- How can policy address the consumerist roots of addiction?
- What value can unpaid care work be given in a market economy?
A Different Perspective
Moral reforms alone cannot change systemic addiction patterns.