Why Modern Men Love American Psycho
Let’s see Paul Allen’s article
"American Psycho" is a cinematic masterpiece that oozes originality
The execution, cinematography, and acting by Christian Bale, Jared Leto, and Reese Witherspoon showcase masters at work. However, what makes this movie a true cultural sensation is the nihilistic philosophy that underpins it.
The atmosphere walks a fine line between fantasy and reality inside the mind of a deranged narcissist in a way that is both interesting and comfy.
What’s even stranger is that many young men, particularly on the internet, worship Patrick Bateman and wish they were like him.
My question is, why?
American Psycho Rings True in Modern Men
Life has no meaning - that's nihilism. But this doesn't equal bad behavior. How people act after a nihilistic realization is their own decision: I’d bet that the saddest and happiest person on the planet are both nihilistic.
This is where“ American Psycho’s” philosophy is most threatening.
The main character Patrick Bateman projects a strong handsome businessman persona, but deep down he is extremely insecure.
He has a mental breakdown over peer pressure and judgment surrounding only the status of his fucking business card.
The keyword here is “status:” American Psycho portrays that for modern men to earn any meaningful status in this world they need to climb a vapid corporate ladder that ultimately has no deeper meaning.
Individualism has no place in the modern corporate system. So this makes the modern man vengeful, nihilistic, and ultimately want to root on Patrick Bateman, the man burning down the system.
And after a while you can work on points for style
Like the club tie and a firm handshake
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to
So that when they turn their backs on you
You’ll get the chance to put the knife in— Animals by Pink Floyd
What’s scariest, however, is the final message of “American Psycho.”
The modern man, even the one who wants to destroy the system, doesn’t win. Every one of Patrick’s colleagues is literally so stuck up their own ass they wouldn’t even recognize him even when he admitted to murdering people.
I imagine it being like this:
Bateman: Hey. I killed Jared Leto and I liked doing it. Isn’t that awful?
Businessman: Sure, Steve, sure. Anyway, have you seen my new business card?
While this is clear hyperbole of any real conversation it does hold a tremendous grain of truth. It leaves me with these questions:
How many relationships do you have that aren’t purely transactional?
How many people actually care about you and what you say?
Are you just another passing face to people you consider friends?
American Psycho’s Take on Social Media
Narcissism is another ubiquitous message in American Psycho.
The way Bateman narrates his own lifestyle sounds exactly like what social media “influencers” sound like today:
In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I’ll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water-activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub…
— Patrick Bateman
What do social media influencers add to the world besides this vague trite notion of “celebrity” and “fame?”
And why do we want it so badly?
We must be sick in the head. We have to be.
“American Psycho” argues that more people are in danger of turning into alienated empty consumerist narcissists only interested in “reality TV” or social media. And with mental health on the decline — and now 1 in 5 people reporting mental health issues — I’d say a lack of human connectivity is, in fact, slowly destroying us.
Patrick Bateman is not a hero. But by the end of the film, he does make a plea for a more primal mode of being — one that is less interested in Kim Kardashian’s next makeup line and more focused on experiencing any human connection.
The Final Message of American Psycho
Lies, lies, and more lies.
“American Psycho” has something to say about lying.
Interpersonal confrontations make Patrick Bateman uncomfortable. He tends to shut down and run away. His go-to line is: “I need to go return some videotapes” after his breakup and that awkward bathroom encounter with his gay co-worker. Bateman is put off by any direct confrontation or conflict on any remotely even ground.
This is to say that “American Psycho” inverts the traditional message of lying and posits that lying is good. Or at least we live in a society where liars win.
You will get ahead by lying, but you’ll also begin to destroy yourself by doing so — and in a way, society as well. I don’t think it's a coincidence that America as a Western Power has felt a decline as we’ve begun to see more lying-obsessed politicians in recent years.
When your society is built on lies and liars winning, people feel lost within.
Takeaway
Here’s the modern world we live in:
Male virginity for men under 30 is at a record high
A majority of young adults in the US live at home with their parents
And there seems to be a meaning crisis, especially amongst men, that many intellectuals have picked up on (i.e. Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, and even John Cleese)
As Henry David Thoreau once famously said,“The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.”
That feeling Thoreau described is only being exponentially multiplied in modernity. It’s why the ethos of “American Psycho” has created a cult of personality around it.
Truth be told, we should be terrified that this movie is held in the regard that it is. But we aren’t. We keep pushing on. At what cost?
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This is a brilliant article. I’ve had a few boyfriends like that in my past and other transactional type relationships where no feelings are really displayed. Many people live in fantasy land and try to drag you into their fantasy and have no intention of checking in that you’re really okay. However, through educating myself, I understand, healthy, narcissism and unhealthy. This also links into trauma complex PTSD. If a child is over over adulated or abused it gives off similar styles of relating “I am not good enough” and there is “something wrong with me”. A fierce inner critic that causes shame and on top of that both types of those abuses, don’t allow a child to individuate from the mother or the mother figure. A wonderful teacher I’ve been following for years on the subject of personality disorders. Sam Vaknin also a book I read “Dispelling Wetiko” Paul Levy .. we become the host, and then they invade as what has happened in society. I’m using loudspeaker on my phone so excuse any errors. This is where the shadow work is so important. There is a saying point a finger at someone you have three pointing back at you. I’m so grateful for my awareness which also attributes to some hypervigilance that is very helpful with the work that I do in the world. I’m trying to educate people around trauma responses and how not to spiral. Also Eric Berne on “Games people play” the way around this is to look at ourselves which I don’t think society is set up to do.