We all consider entitlement as a bad thing— but why?
The ethos of “hard work”
In America, the notion is this:
Thou shalt work hard for what you desire.
And to get handed things “on a silver platter” is seen as bad.
But why?
Petty resentment?
First theory —
We don’t like entitled kids, because they actually are of a higher social caste, and we despise it.
Kids who are entitled don’t feel like they need to “work” for x, y, z. Why is this bad?
Well, maybe it can screw them over in the long run — they don’t know how to “work hard”.
Or — they don’t acknowledge their privilege. And those with less privilege resent those with privilege.
Why atone for your privilege?
In America, privilege essentially means that your family has a lot of money, connections to higher education, and connections with powerful people and institutions.
But consider, if you’re born as a “privileged kid”— you didn’t ask to be born. You were born without your permission. So why should privileged kids need to atone for the fact they were born into privilege?
Acknowledging your privilege
Perhaps the basic notion is this:
Privileged kids have an inaccurate view of reality.
For example, when rich kids say:
“Why don’t poor people just work harder?”
Thus perhaps we despise entitlement because it is a lack of intelligence and higher knowledge of social factors in the world.
To give oneself a certain title?
Entitlement is quite literally giving someone else a title. Title of “Baron”, “King”, etc.
Sometimes rich kids say (in the movies at least):
Do you know who my father is?
This kid is trying to show his title — the fact he’s a higher social class and replete with power, and he is “privileged” from listening to “normal people laws and customs”.
So an entitled kid says:
I am exempt from the social laws and customs of your lesser social class, because I am superior to you.
Can entitlement be a good thing?
America says:
You are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Also we are taught,
Man is imbued with certain human rights like dignity and so forth.
But is this really the case?
What I think
I believe we are thrust into a cruel world. The world doesn’t give a shit about you or your well-being. To believe in a world of peace and mutual good-will is bad, because it is anti-human nature.
Naturally humans want distinction, we delight in war, we want to conquer other people, and we don’t really care too much for the well-being of others. We only care for our own well-being, and the well-being of our family, friends, and those in our inner-circle. I feel once we acknowledge this, then we can live more honestly in life.
We aren’t entitled to nothing
Some of us are born into the world level 50 and others are born into the world level 0. If life is an RPG, some of us are born with more advantages than others. But should we level 0 players scorn and despise level 50 players? No, we should just focus on leveling up ourselves!
ERIC KIM