The proverb warns that, “You should not bite the hand that feeds you.” But maybe you should, if it prevents you from feeding yourself.
Thomas Stephen Szasz
1920 –
If you aren’t a student of the world economy, you might not understand that we’re entering a new economic period. For decades, we’ve enjoyed an unprecedented era of prosperity. It began with an economic boom due to rebuilding after World War II, followed by rampant growth in consumer consumption with the expansion of credit; finally, we saw a surge in productivity as the digital revolution ushered in countless forms of automation. And with this unprecedented growth came an outpouring of social entitlement programs.
While it’s true that many of these programs provide individuals with a safety net when unfortunate circumstances occur, they also foster an undesirable side effect. Which brings me back to my opening question: what goes hand in hand with entitlement?
I suggest you think about this issue for a minute or two. The side effect is quite clear and happens on both a macro (large scale) and micro (individual) level.
I believe entitlement fosters resentment and disrespect. In fact, I don’t believe it’s possible to separate them. We all want to be self-sufficient, to earn our own way. But when some person or entity assumes our responsibilities, we gradually lose respect for them.
If you want to test this idea, look among your relatives and friends and select a young child, say five or six years old. Start giving them a dollar on a specific day each week. Continue giving the dollars for a period of two to three months. You’ll soon create an entitlement situation; they’ll come to expect the money each and every week. Then stop providing these gifts. Will they thank you for your generosity or resent the fact that you stopped?
Our era of economic growth fueled a large number of entitlement programs that won’t be sustainable in the future. We’re already seeing signs of resentment and disrespect from recipients of these programs, both in the U.S. and around the world. There’s social unrest worldwide, and much of it is aimed at governments that can no longer provide all the benefits instituted in better economic times.
We must learn this lesson on a worldwide and an individual level. We cannot create entitlement programs and allow people to become dependent on them without creating resentment and disrespect on the part of those we’re trying to help. We must direct our efforts toward enabling self-sufficiency rather than dependency.
People’s sense of entitlement endures long after the entitlement has ceased to make sense.
Mark Steyn
1959 –
Copyright © 2012 John Chancellor