The Entitlement Mentality of America
- June 13, 2008 at 12:57 AM by MuralMaiden
- 8 Comment(s)
- 99 Total Views
The current election has brought to the forefront the ideas and expectations of the American people in a light that is less then flattering. It seems more evident now, than ever, that American expectations towards other countries are self-serving to the detriment of those countries and certainly our own in time. Sure, the American people are very generous in the politics of giving to those in need when the assurance of a returned “back-scratching” is contracted. This mentality of entitlement is nothing new; America has been fostering it slowly over the generations within the system of government that has been slowly using that mentality to take away our independence. What happened to the self-reliant mentality that our forefathers founded this country upon? We are moving fast forward to the one world government that deems all should be equal whether they want it or not. America has become the new world order of police leaving our own citizens to flounder in the system that will be the death of their freedoms.
The idea that we Americans must subject our military to war in order to obtain the resources of others in the name enabling a democracy is a disgrace. Selling deadly weaponry in the pursuit of oil but calling it an enablement for other countries to have alternative power will be the downfall of this free society. America has no more rights to the resources of another country, than other countries have to our resources. Can you imagine the uproar of the American people if another country was to come in to take our water sources or our coal? A responsible society would take the resources that are in their domain and put them to a thoughtful and progressive use. Knowing that our oil resources are more limited here, this country should have been already looking for the alternatives and have them in practice by now. The alternatives are here and may be expensive but more costly would be the loss of the freedoms that we enjoy as American citizens.
Where does this mentality of entitlement begin? It begins within the society that America has created with the government leading us like sheep to the slaughterhouse of complacency. We want the government to guarantee us life, liberty, and happiness but without having to actually put forth the effort to pursue it. We create a welfare system using the taxes of the working class but ignore the many who abuse the system and haven’t paid taxes in years. Healthy but lazy Americans, who believe that they are entitled to live off of the hard work of others, are the bane of the system. When the working class hit hard times, they rarely qualify because they are still working and pursuing an honorable lifestyle. Generation after generation has witnessed this behavior and now accepts it as normal. Soon enough, we will have second and third generations of welfare recipients who have never contributed to the system that they have come to feel that they are entitled to. We see them in the grocery store, food stamp card in hand, chatting on their cell phones and wearing their designer clothing that most of the working class is paying for directly from the sweat of their brow. Hard times come for many but living a lifestyle completely from the welfare system is a blow to the heart of the society that was created for us to thrive in. What gives one the right to sit on their haunches reaping the benefits off the work of others? The entitlement mentality is the argument given with no other explanation.
The public education system is another example of teaching the entitlement mentality. We see the tug of war that happens in the system every day with funding going to a less productive school. The scores are lower so they are entitled to the new computer systems to help them along, the new books to help them read, the new teachers to help the school thrive, and they are the first for the new building face lifts. All the while, the schools that have been pushing forward and keeping their test scores above average only get the raw end of the deal with over crowding from children being bussed out of their neighborhoods at early morning hours to attend the better schools for a better opportunity. This is the mental programming that takes place at such an early age, it is no wonder that the young adults of the current era believe that they are entitled to the best education with a minimum effort applied. Should not the student that has applied himself with full effort have a better opportunity then one who skirts along? Why must we punish the one who put forth a better effort with equal treatment as those who do little to nothing?
This entitlement mentality will be the downfall of a free society. Americans who stand by in complacency will slowly have their freedoms diminished, dissected, sorted by governmental standards, and handed to them on a sectioned lunch tray in the guise of equality for all. Stand up for your liberties now or welcome a society of socialism for later.
Tags: article, america, liberty, freedom
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- Written by MuralMaiden on June 13, 2008 at 12:57 AM
- 99 total views
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Comments:
Your post reminds me of the Stalin story .. pluck the feathers from a sparrow, one by one, and soon he is thankful for the warmth of your hand.
Very well stated. As a person who grew up on welfare from time to time, it saddens me to see it abused. My father was a proud man, but unfortunately was in a seasonal type of job that did not pull in much money. So we used medicaide and food stamps periodically when I was growing up. But we never relied on them for long periods of time. I received much judgement as a teen because in a small town like mine - everyone knows who is on welfare and who is not. I always got comments that we were lazy and abusing the system.
So, when you said the following, I was glad that you recognize that some form of help is needed from time to time: "Hard times come for many but living a lifestyle completely from the welfare system is a blow to the heart of the society that was created for us to thrive in."
So what do I feel I'm entitled to? I say I'm entitled to the freedom to seek information and make my own decisions. I feel that so much information is hidden to us becaue it may somehow harm the super-large corporations who flip their $$$ in the face of our government. And when people do uncover the truth, their labled as weird or trouble makers.
Well spoken! I couldn't agree more!
Another problem is that the average American does not understand that taking money away from one person to give to another is just plain... stealing! Who is to say who needs that money more? Should the hardworking father of a family of 6 have to pay for another person's unemployment, simply because he has worked hard for decades to attain a higher level of income than that other person, or simply because one person "appears" to need that money more?
We cannot change this system until more people are educated as to the unedeniable HARM that comes from the entitlement mentality.
It's an excellent perspective presented very well. I wonder though, might it be that we actually are entitled to a certain standard of living in a society as advanced as ours is in so many ways? Might it be that in looking at welfare recipients of today as less worthy than their predecessors or working peers a divisive attitude is fostered that in the end serves only the interests of those who are and wish to remain in power? What if, instead of saying, "I need, it's my money" we say, "We all deserve, it's our economy" and demand that our government and others of the world who wish to participate interdependently (not to be confused with co-dependence) provide all of their people with basic necessities including clean water, food, housing, clothing, education, and healthcare. I understand this sounds like a socialist perspective, but in truth, those things if they are given unconditionally through a pooling of a small amount of each individual's resources, serve to foster freedom in thought and expression, which are the truest of libertarian principles. I don't have an issue with government, and I don't have an issue with supporting others in my community, as long as the government works for me and my fellow citizens rather than for itself, and as long as those others... well, how much laying-about I'd be willing to accept (in my ideal world) would depend upon how much society could afford. I don't care if everyone's doing nothing all day if that's what they wish, if we as a people can afford it and no one's being left with some unreasonable burden.
I offer this not as an argument, but as an alternative. I think it's true that we feel entitled in many ways that serve us in no way, as individuals or a social group. I just wonder if maybe our frustration with the situation isn't misdirected when I find that, for instance, all the people I know personally who are using or have used social services have good reason, so when I find myself getting up in arms about it I end up wondering why for every layabout someone knows there seem to be two or three or four families with true hardship and need.
Or, do we need to redefine hardship and need? Or all of that? I don't know. :)
Peace - You make some valid points, issues I've been thinking about lately myself after having spent time in a country that was developed by the British, but is now like a 3rd world country where people are SO poor, they literally do not have enough food sometimes, they don't always have running water (and I'm talking about in a major city ), they dont' always have electricity etc. It makes us wonder just how much weas Americans are entitled to - but at the same time, wondering if maybe the govt SHOULD be involved in providing some of those things. Hmmm....
Thanks for all of the comments, I appreciate them.
Peacejaway - after I responded to you I had a chance to finally read Mary Ruwart's book Healing our World in an Age of Aggression.
I highly recommend it! avail free online at http://www.ruwart.com
She goes thru a step-by-step explanation of how (the aggression of) taxing people to give to others actually hurts the poor & disadvantaged the most... while at the same time, giving people freedom from such aggression & the liberty to make their own choices actually helps the poor & disadvantaged the most!
An eye-opening book! It really helped resolve my concerns about how to provide for those less fortunate and raising the standard of living for Americans (all people, actually).
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and people wonder why am not patriotic. so many times i have heard, "if you don't like it then leave". why? why not fix it? why not voice my opinion?
i have heard, "at least you aren't starving" or, "at least you aren't being bombed". ok, sure. so should the women that fought so hard for the right to vote have just shut up and been glad they didn't have to wear burkas? should african americans have even bothered to fight for their freedom? at least they didn't have to face genocide right?
i just don't understand the complacency. yes, we have it better than others, because we fought for it.
goth_mama Jun. 13, 2008 at 7:49 AM