Understanding and Defeating the Ivy League Narcissists in Our Midst

Ivy League universities decided long ago that God is a myth and evil, a social construct that religious people use to control others. They then spun up their own personal religion and have been using it to try to control others, not recognizing the irony—much less the hypocrisy.

Their first move was to redefine freedom as the absence of all norms and moral obligations; these were labeled “oppressive.” Next, in place of God, good and evil, they placed themselves as the arbiters of fluid categories of right and wrong, creators of all knowledge, and directors of all progress.

This narcissistic, arbitrary, and dictatorial mentality is marketed as being, of all things, about “tolerance.” Which those who preach will tolerate for as long as you do not question it.

Or them.

We are now decades into their project of moral deconstruction; the experiment has run its course. The fruit of it is visible for all to see. It is going to take years to undo the damage.

First, we must understand the situation.

Once orderly and beautiful countries in the West are falling apart internally; ordinary people are struggling mightily, and the threat of WWIII increases frighteningly due to an epidemic of systemic narcissism (and some psychopathy) among the so-called elites.

We are all narcissistic to some degree sometimes. Babies and small children demand their needs be met now because they are not yet old enough to understand the concept of others.

In a reasonably healthy family in a reasonably healthy society, we outgrow our childish narcissism by coming to understand that others have needs, and ours do not always come first and never at the expense of others.

Unfortunately, the 100-plus-year slow-motion attack on men, women, the family, and society by “The Academy,” as elite Ivy League schools are sometimes styled, has been relentless. It appears that many of the people in power themselves grew up in less than healthy families, and that this has fostered an increasingly dysfunctional society.

The evidence before our eyes strongly suggests our society is now run by people on the narcissism spectrum. Examples include self-righteous, control-freak HOA boards and pompous school board members who are contemptuous of the concerns expressed by the parents of children under their control. There are sociopaths and psychopaths at the highest levels of government and corporations. These are individuals characterized by a predatory disregard for the rights, needs, perspectives, health, and well-being of others.

There is something worse than immorality. It is the absence of any moral standards at all.

“The Academy” teaches that morality itself is a myth; that one person’s wrong is another person’s right. The mantra is that there is no such thing as objective good or bad. The dogma is that life is a zero-sum game for power where one dominates—or is dominated. The people who ascribe to this doctrine are radical Darwinists who believe in survival of the fittest; they see themselves as the fittest and will use any means to remain on top. This they consider “natural.”

And they are right, in a sense. It is “natural.” For nearly all of human history, the individuals or small groups that were able to dominate did so, providing a safer life for those included in their group.

However, we, as a species, progressed past this Neanderthal way of thinking. We had a breakthrough experience.

Dominate or be dominated ceased being natural when a world-changing, supernatural phenomenon called Christianity came along. Christianity put a philosophical end to the survival of the fittest as the norm for mankind. It proved that building a sense of self by achieving power and dominance over others is not conducive to human thriving, that it is dysfunctional, and leads to hell on earth. Christianity debunked the long-standing human societal norms of collectivist shame cultures with their plethora of rigidly enforced, intricate rules of displaying deference and paying homage to the dominant group (e.g., the Pharisees).

Christianity replaced seeking external validation with looking within one’s self, continually striving for an unattainable but societal good as exemplified by Christ’s life and teachings. “Love Christ” and “loving your neighbor as yourself” are the diametric opposites of survival of the fittest.

Of course, from the beginning, there were those who misused this new moral teaching. There were and always will be usurpers because the dog-eat-dog mentality persists in human nature. The Jewish faith was infiltrated and corrupted by the Pharisees (and others). So also the Christian faith. These infiltrations and usurpations are worthy of condemnation, but they were never and can never be complete.

Unfortunately, the Ivy League experts continue to try to either eliminate or co-opt Christianity completely. They failed to see the profoundly adaptive value of the authentic Judeo-Christian paradigm. Or perhaps they did and hubristically decided they did not want to submit to any moral authority.

So, a reversion to the old “natural” ways—with a new veneer—was spun up. It was given new names, but underneath it is a reversion to survival of the fittest. In keeping with the intelligentsia’s penchant for sophistry and deception, the reversion to the dogma of “might makes right” was presented as “progressive,” to imply this agenda was being pursued for grandiose noble ends such as control of the climate and a utopia of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

So here we are.

Our institutions, from the local city councils to the libraries to the universities and corporations, are now filled with people who prey upon other people’s naivete, good nature, flaws, and weaknesses. These individuals are intent on destroying other individuals and groups they don’t like as a display of their own power. The individuals and groups they don’t like are those who do not bow to their authority and sit at their feet, learning from their views.

No matter the excessive death rates in all western countries, soaring crime in our cities, exploding mental health crises, and nonexistent trust in institutions, these groups never question the wisdom of their actions. The individuals co-opted by them seemingly never search their souls and so deny they have ever made a mistake. Self-reflection and accountability do not compute to a narcissistic person. We see all around us this systemic psychological dysfunction causing harm to children, isolation in young adults, and profound fear in the old. Yet these pathological personalities persist, quite sure that they are “doing good.”

Lack of self-awareness, zero empathy, and grandiosity are the hallmarks of the maladaptation that is narcissism.

These narcissistic authorities have little, if any, sense of connectedness to the things in life that are best and good. This is not to say they never do anything good or loving. Many can be full of sweet words and apparent sacrificial kindness to those they deem worthy—often those who they think can give them something they want. Some of these individuals are not oblivious all the time, but the underlying narcissistic entitlement and callousness can show up at any time.

Denial of right and wrong show up most in the midst of conflict. When needs are in conflict, it is often a question of dominate or be dominated. Such people are relentless, as if driven by an inner possession.

In my local town (Irving, TX), good people are fighting narcissistic elected members of the city council on a matter of clearly scientifically provable right and wrong involving harm to children. In our library (and libraries around the country), there is material that is known to be harmful to children’s developing brains, according to the National Institutes of Health.

And to common sense.

Harm is far from only physical. It also occurs due to exposing a child to adult sexual material—such as pornography—and to voyeurism and exhibitionism, which certain books being put in front of children clearly do. The books that most people want removed from the children’s section of libraries in public schools have vivid illustrations depicting things that children with their not-yet-developed prefrontal cortexes cannot process, such as oral sex, incest, and pedophilia.

Astoundingly, there are people who insist it is right to do this and will fight to impose their view of “right” and often use frivolous lawfare to bankrupt the good men and women who oppose such “rights.”

Because to narcissistic people, it is destroy or be destroyed, and their projects of destruction are often financially backed by deep pockets. Yet, despite the provable harm these books cause to children, amoral, self-righteous people want to fight it tooth and nail and are willing to go to all lengths to win.

For those who have an issue with the word evil, I ask: What else can it be called when someone who understands and knows the difference between right and wrong chooses wrong with the unspoken thinking that “it is not actually wrong if it serves my interests?”

What else can it be called when a person pursues his goal with abandon and seemingly in an attempt to kill the spirit of that person in front of them?

Christopher Laush wrote about this phenomenon more than 30 years ago in his 1993 book, The Culture of Narcissism. But the most important question right now is: How do we as Americans fight back against the systemic narcissism that Laush wrote about?

Firstly, we have to understand that it will be a long and difficult fight—one that our children and grandchildren must be taught to understand and take part in as part of their civic and humanitarian duty. We have to bear the burden, as our Constitution, which is now barely hanging on, creates the space for us to do that.

Other people are not so fortunate, as other people do not have the protections or traditions embodied in America’s Constitution.

People suffering from narcissism are deeply dysfunctional and hurt people. And hurting people often hurt other people. We cannot change them or convince them of the errors of their ways. Even if they wanted to change—and many see themselves as quite wonderful and therefore don’t want to change—it would be a long, uphill road. So bear this important business saying in mind:

“If you can’t change the people, change the people.”

We need to change the people in charge by being the new healthy people—or supporting those who are.

First, speak up and openly support and vote for candidates who are peacemakers. WWIII would be catastrophic. We need to survive as a country first. Speak up to your neighbors and friends about the serious nature of a world war and the necessity of supporting peace.

Next, find a role that works with your work and family responsibilities that you can play in your office or backyard. Host discussion groups about peace or the Civil Rights Act as it pertains to all races. Run for a small office like dog catcher, poll watcher, or school board member. If you can’t, then vocally and, if possible, monetarily, support the good people who do.

Lastly, keep educating yourself so you can avoid getting pulled into conflict with the people in charge. When you have to deal with such Ivy League-educated narcissists in any capacity, use the wisdom in the book Rules for Defeating Radicals.

The key rules are:

• Never apologize unless an actual wrong has been committed. And if an apology is truly warranted, remain very specific as to the issue that is actually being addressed.

• Keep it focused. Don’t bother engaging narcissistic leftists about the truth. They are ideologues who don’t really intend to find common ground. They want nothing less than our complete ideological surrender.

• Don’t accept the narcissistic left’s baseless assertions of cause and effect, which are proclaimed as inarguable truth but are only enabling propaganda.

• Never accept the narcissistic left’s definition of good and evil. One of the bogus premises they grant themselves is license to engage in any behavior, no matter how deceitful, vicious, or depraved, in order to prevail.

• Stay on point. Do not allow leftists to complicate the issue or distract from it.

The Titanic doesn’t turn on a dime. But in time, it will turn, if the turn is made in time.

Katherine Novikov is the Executive Director of the Diamond Mind Foundation  The mission of the small family foundation is to help people see without distortion.