“Entitled” has gotta be one of the most abused words in the western English-speaking lexicon, up there with “free” and “freedom.” Every time someone calls another person entitled simply because they request something to be different from how it is, or because they try to negotiate a better deal out of something, or like I don’t know, don’t want to live an awful life, it is truly angering. I despise the people who think that way and they are hypocrites on top of it. When something is an issue for them, then they suddenly think there’s nothing wrong with wanting different, or even being intense about it, as it pertains to what they personally want. These sort of people are more annoying than sociopaths in a way because at least with a sociopath, you know they’re going to be an anti-social asshole. With these people, they’re aghast at any accusation of improper behavior and will gaslight the world into thinking they’re a victim before they ever admit to the demeaning character of their own words for once in their bitter, jaded life.
Okay, I am being unfair, some of them will learn some of the time. But there is something about the commonality of it and the conviction behind it that makes it harder for me to be optimistic for western “society.”
The world owes all of us a lot and we owe it a lot too, but like many things, it’s not a universal principle of owing anyone and everyone or being owed by anyone and everyone. It’s another relative thing. We owe a great debt to the toilers of the world, meaning the working class but also those who have built society even when they don’t technically count as someone who does wage labor for a living (example: stay at home moms who are financially supported by a husband, or people who can’t find work yet nevertheless add to families and friendships and community, and many other varying situations of contribution to human society and life). We don’t owe shit to the exploitative classes, the forces of colonization and imperialism, and so on. And society as an institution owes us all humane treatment and a fair, humane share in resources. Without that, it’s not much of a society.
Capitalism would like people to believe there’s a generation of entitled people out there who want too much. Capitalism is the institutional version of the person described above, but without the possibility of learning because its interests are in contradiction with improving; aghast at any accusation of improper behavior and will gaslight the world into thinking they’re a victim before they ever admit to the demeaning character of their own words (and actions).
Capitalism has taught people to be really persistent at putting down others for advocating for their needs and desires. Remember that it does that because it wants to exploit and it’s easier to exploit when people are silent in their pain. So tell people, yeah, I’m actually owed a lot. I owe a lot too. How else do you think society is supposed to function?