There has always been a disconnect between what we claim to deserve as human beings and what we believe is deserved in specific circumstances — by citizens or non-citizens, or workers or owners; by basically, any other person. “Entitled” is the scalpel we use to divide one group of people from another. We enjoy declaring that things are owed to us, then turning around and shaming others for expecting anything beyond that. Maybe we think that certain rights are fundamental and should be granted to us because of social circumstances, our race, religion creed, physical disabilities, age, or any number of other reasons. Yet that doesn’t deter us from accusing others of being grasping, arrogant and superior.
Many of our most pitched intergenerational and interracial arguments revolve around the question of what it is reasonable to expect from the world and what we must learn to bear quietly. Personal responsibility lies at the heart of entitlement thinking.
en·ti·tle·ment /inˈtīdlmənt,enˈtīdlmənt/ a noun
The fact of having a right to something.
“full entitlement to fees and maintenance should be offered”
Similar: right, prerogative, claim, title, license, permission, dispensation, privilege, liberty
- the amount to which a person has a right.
“annual leave entitlement”
Similar: the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.
“no wonder your kids have a sense of entitlement“
The way we use “entitled” feels less strange when you consider that its two meanings have slightly different origins.
“Entitlement” was, quite literally, something granted by a higher authority: A “noble” person pleased the sovereign, perhaps by acquiring land or fighting bravely, and in return the sovereign bestowed upon him special rights and privileges, perks not afforded to a commoner, “Entitlement” was a recognition of service, a promise of specific legal benefits.
In the United States, “entitlements” refers to government benefit programs not subject to budgetary discretion. It is assistance the government is obligated to provide to all eligible citizens, on levels both legal and societal.
Nowadays an illegitimate sense of entitlement has emerged. An entitled person is someone whose privilege / or socio-economic level leads to the expectation of being waited on, provided for, deferred to.
For instance, when you are at a ball game and you catch a foul ball, people yell “Give it to the kid!” This assumes the child is more entitled to that ball than the adult who just caught it.
Giving free lunch to all students assumes that people cannot pay, when in fact many of them can. There are food shelves, clothing shelves, places that offer furniture and household items free of charge. The ‘entitled’ group of people are the homeless and working poor. If a middle class person uses the food shelf, they are shamed.
Yet, those who depend on entitlement programs, are increasingly cast as undeserving — people who “choose” to be poor, via laziness and lack of responsibility, and yet feel “entitled” to governmental support.
One article declares that Melania Trump is “entitled” to some privacy, while another notes that noncitizens brought to this country as children are not “entitled” to court-appointed immigration lawyers. This double-sided use of entitlement tends not to tell us a great deal about the subject it’s applied to, whether that subject is privacy, legal representation or airline upgrades.
Mitt Romney in 2012, declared that 47 percent of voters saw themselves as victims and believed “that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it from the government—that that’s an entitlement. Mitt suggested that they should “take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” But, of course Romney’s entitlement of his vast wealth was hereditary. Now, more than ever, government is providing for the needs of the population.
The schools are giving out free breakfast and lunches. They can no longer shame those who don’t pay for school lunches. In the 50’s and 60’s we couldn’t afford school lunch, so Mom made us a cheese sandwich and that’s what we took to school in a brown paper bag, and we tried to use the same bag for the whole week. What parent today wants or needs to make a lunch—or even serve breakfast when their child will get fed at school, free of charge?
Schools are not ready to let families be fully responsible for their education. I spent many years going to night school to gain my college degree because I did not want to be saddled with the debt of college. Today students are advised to take out a loan, beginning with freshman entrance. By the time they are done with college, their debt is over $100,000. Yet, how many of them were advised to work full time, take fewer classes and pay as they go? How many students were advised to start saving for college as a youngster; put their money away for college as they work in high school? That’s the thinking for my generation of college wanna-be’s. If we expected to go to college, we better start earning the money now.
Today, those same students who took out loans and are overwhelmed with the repayment plan may get the government to bail them out.
Many people ask: Is it really possible to have my federal student loans forgiven or to get help repaying them? The answer is Yes! However, there are very specific eligibility requirements you must meet to qualify for loan forgiveness.
If you teach full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years in certain elementary or secondary schools or educational service agencies that serve low-income families[1]. There are, in fact four loan forgiveness opportunities for teachers. If you work full-time for a government or not-for-profit organization, you could get loan forgiveness. There is an income driven plan, a military service plan, an Americorps plan and other ways to gain loan forgiveness.
But, what niggles in my mind is the worry that this generation whose huge college debt was forgiven, who now are getting additional money if they are unemployed and rent relief, will expect a bail out for every big purchase they make. After all, a college education is supposed to lead to a better paying job, so why would the government pay for that?
When is enough help enough? Who decides? When do we ask for the general populace to take personal responsibility?
How are we so entitled to the government handout?
“Sen. Joe Manchin’s public support Sunday for at least $2 trillion in new spending in a partisan budget bill is a huge entitlement program is really an economic threat, (as is the monies given for rent and unemployment.) These programs aren’t intended as a “safety net” for the poor or those temporarily down on their luck. They are explicitly designed to make the middle-class dependent on government handouts.” (From WSJ Opinion, It’s Entitlements, Stupid By The Editorial Board, June 28, 2021 6:48 pm ET)
Some people call social security and Medicare entitlement programs, however I disagree, because social security benefits come from workers who paid into social security during employment. All those years of FICA and FICA-HI being taken out of our checks are being paid back with Social Security and Medicare. We all pay, (or paid) 1.45% of our earnings into FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act), which go toward Medicare. Employers pay another 1.45%, bringing the total to 2.9%.
The problem is, according to Michael D. Tanner is that fewer and fewer people are paying into social security and the government wants to use those funds for other things, thereby using up what money is earmarked for future workers. He worries that by 2034, the Social Security funds will be depleted and workers will receive little for their contributions. I have relatives and friends who are worried as well. They are paying more into social security and are hoping that there will be enough money when they retire.
How did we get to the place where we expect the government to feed us, pay our rent, pay for college and more?
Even though there have been government handout programs in the past, they were short lived and offered for specific event. The whole-sale idea that we should all be entitled began in the early 70’s.
Burger King came out with a slogan of Have It Your Way in 1974. This slogan summed up its difference with its rival McDonald’s. The slogan fits well with the emphasis in pop culture and on individuality. The line makes total sense at a time when self-expression and mass customization are critical elements of culture. (Mar 30, 2019 from: https://hookagench.com
The “Because I’m Worth It” tagline originated in 1971 when L’Oreal needed to convince consumers to spend more on their products than then-competitor Clairol. Today, the slogan has been translated into 40 languages, and still represents the brand’s image across the world. Nov 14, 2011 (https://hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle)
Even today, Joe Namath, in the Medicare Coverage Helpline commercial, tells us to get “all that we are entitled to. . . at no additional cost, with a dollar give-back benefit. “You need to get everything you’re entitled to!” he exclaims.
So, the question remains, what are we entitled to?
Some people say, they at least are entitled to their own opinion. But is that true?
And, what does it mean to be “entitled” to an opinion?
The problem with “I’m entitled to my opinion” is that, all too often, it’s used to shelter beliefs that should have been abandoned. It becomes shorthand for “I can say or think whatever I like” – and by extension, continuing to argue is somehow disrespectful. And this attitude feeds into the false equivalence between experts and non-experts that is an increasingly pernicious feature of our public discourse.
If “Everyone is entitled to their opinion” just means no-one has the right to stop people thinking and saying whatever they want, then the statement is true, but fairly trivial.
But if ‘entitled to an opinion’ means ‘entitled to have your views treated as serious candidates for the truth’ then it’s pretty clearly false.
So next time you hear someone declare they’re entitled to their opinion, ask them why they think that. Chances are, if nothing else, you’ll end up having a more enjoyable conversation that way.
[1] Student Loan Forgiveness (and Other Ways the Government Can Help You Repay Your Loans), Federal Student Aid, office of the department of education.
Resources:
“How Much Is Anyone ‘Entitled’ To, in the End?” First Words, The New York Times Magazine By Carina Chocano, Feb. 27, 2018
“The Culture of Narcissism,” by Christopher Lasch, 1979.
“America’s Entitlement Crisis Just Keeps Growing: A new government report suggests that Social Security and Medicare are in even worse shape than you thought.” By Michael D. Tanner JUNE 13, 2018 • COMMENTARY, CATO Institute
“No, you’re not entitled to your opinion”, by Patrick Stokes, The Conversation, October 4, 2012 4.28pm EDT, at: https://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978
“Student Loan Forgiveness (and other ways the government can help you repay your loans)” by Federal student Aid, Office of the department of education. Downloaded from the world wide web at: https://studentaid.gov/articles/student-loan-forgiveness/
Well said, Annette. My only comment would be to ask why we pay taxes to have government work for the population’s benefits, if not receive some entitlements from them? I admit things have gone way too far of late. 🥰
Hi Elizabeth,
You are right, we do pay taxes to have the government work for us. We also pay taxes to keep roads, schools, parks, public housing and the like moving forward. Unfortunately, the expense of these benefits has surpassed our tax base in many cases. I often wonder how prices got so out-of-control.