the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment


as humans do we have anything we 'inherently' deserve?
are rights an entitlement?


I work, I get paid for that work, if I have a retirement, I am able to pay in and continue having income when I stop working,,,

I work, I get paid for that work, I have no retirement offered and make very little to put aside,,,, I have nothing to put away so I can continue having income when I stop working



,,,did the 'latter' earn less of a right to retire with income, by being in a lower financial bracket in which there weren't the funds to 'put away',, even though they worked just as hard and long?



what makes some things 'entitlements'? and why is an entitlement a bad thing? If one is/has/will be using it for a short period out of years that they contribute to society?

Good post Ms

I think anyone who works should, to a certain extent, earn enough to be able to save for a pension, although that's easier said then done.

As or the bums, parasites and leaches of this world, we should build a bonfire with the lot of them.

There are sadly, some people who are well capable of work but refuse point blank too.

Then again, you can hardly blame them when all they have to do is cross a border and ride the gravy train.

The world doesn't owe me a single thing.
Except maybe a kick in the arse,
when I start feeling entitled.

Spot on

I feel that I am entitled to doing honest work, providing for myself and also contributing to causes I believe in. I don't feel that the world "owes" me a thing and I have never understood why some people feel that it does.

I am not entitled to anything nor do I feel entitled to anything.

Well, if we're going to use dictionary definitions then let's keep going.

Deserve - to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to (reward, assistance, punishment, etc.) because of actions, qualities, or situation

- to be worthy of, qualified for, or have a claim to reward, punishment, recompense, etc.


Then sure, we do have things we "inherently" deserve.
Like air.


No.
But you can compare rights to entitlements.
Entitlements are mostly arbitrary.
Rights are mostly expressing universal human nature.


Retirement isn't a right.
It's just a reality.
You have a shelf life.

You "retire" because the professional, producing, world sees you as more of a cost than a benefit or investment.
They simply won't hire you.
"Retirement" is a polite way of saying "you're old and useless and should be put on an ice flow, but we're civilized so we have to pretend we care."

You don't have a "right" to retire. It's something that's going to be forced upon you no matter what you do. By health, dementia, immobility, health care costs to keep you as an employee.

Picking an age like 65 to retire is purely arbitrary, and mostly just drawing a line in the sand and saying "beats trying to figure it out individually and having to come up with reasons why we let Jefferson go at 66 but Sanders at 69, now it's policy. Oh we're not saying you're too old...it's just policy that you have to 'retire' at 65."
Or "oh no, you don't 'have' to retire at 65...you 'get' to retire at 65! Yay! Here's a cake and a watch! Now get out...and go have fun!"


Whatever society defines them as, whatever politicians define as and the law will enforce as, and whatever the individual subjectively wants.


Because it's usually the government defining who is "entitled," what they are "entitled" to, and then stealing money from people via taxes to pay it.

Otherwise, it's mostly subjectively used by people overvaluing themselves and demanding others give something up to fulfill the entitlement.


"Contribute to society" is rather vague.
Do some people contribute more than others?
What exactly constitutes a "contribution" to society? Money? Time? Innovation? Charity? Lack of police record?

Earlier you said "even though they worked just as hard and long?"
Who measured that?

And are you referring to social security? With the retirement talk?
"A short period" is now lasting into "decades."
Originally, it was amazing if people lived into their early 70's.
Some people have been on social security longer than they were employed, especially thanks to social security disability.

Also, SS isn't "really" an entitlement in the sense like it's forced retirement savings. Where you pay into it all your life, the government invests your money, you retire, and are withdrawing your money, the money you are entitled to because you earned it and paid into it.

It's a social program. You are not paying into it to pay for yourself. You are paying into it in order to pay the previous generation. You are not getting your money back. You are getting the next generations money.

You aren't entitled to social security just because you pay into it, but because the government has certain qualifications you meet, defining the qualities that make it so you "deserve" social security.
Qualifications the federal government can arbitrarily change at any time.
Benefits which the federal government can arbitrarily change at any time.

There's more than one kind of "entitlement" involved here.

The News commonly talks about "entitlements," referring to certain government programs. Whether they qualify MORALLY or SPIRITUALLY as entitlements or not, is an individual concern.

Some people resent the hell out of having been told that they have to treat their fellow citizens fairly and decently, and they have fooled a lot of OTHER people into believing that Free Rides are being handed out at the expense of us hard-working types every day.

That's MOSTLY outright lies, with one part interpretation thrown in to confuse things.

The truth is, that the powerful people of every society, ESPECIALLY including ours, always use their influence and power to rig the structure of the economy and the law to favor themselves. It's natural human greed at work, the same fuel that drives the capitalist engines, according to those who praise capitalism the most.

To counteract some of that rigged game, some laws have been passed to try to restore SOME balance to the system. Not enough, but some.

It's the same way that we had to write Rights into our Constitution to try to prevent a tyranny of momentary majorities from taking over.

Rights and privileges are two different things.

Rights are inherent because they are what gives a person their dignity. This is a universal for all regardless station in society. We are entitled to have rights equal with everyone else.

Privileges are special advantages or benefits. This is different across societies and sensibilities. Not everyone is entitled to the same privileges as everyone else.

The feeling of entitlement is natural. You have the right to feel entitled to a privilege, whether you deserve it or not. How one asserts this, spells the difference between justice, fairness, common good, quality of life, satisfaction...etc...or the lack thereof.

The problem with people and societies, is that some would aim to increase the importance of privileges by devaluing rights...and justify it as an entitlement.

The world is a tough place to survive and the most important asset is your health. No one owes me anything and its up to me to decide, do I want to work a second job while I am healthy to save for retirement or do I choose to see what happens. I have chosen the option of working a second job, I do not feel I am entitled to anything but I do admit it is a little frustrating worrying about saving and If I am making the right investment choice's.

In the U.S. if you work on the books social security is taken out. Everyone knows that will not be enough to retire on. Each person is responsible to secure for their retirement using additional means. unfortunately not everyone can do that or some do not plan for those years.

But regarding entitlement, like said, if you worked, social security... that all you are entitled to and you knew that when you first started to work. The rest is up to you. Rightfully so.

Nobody owes anyone anything

Actually, it is one of the most tremendously important things for a society to do, to CHOOSE to make it so, they we owe each other a number of things.

A society which attempts to live by the brave-sounding, but ultimately vicious and destructive idea that "no one owes anyone anything," will inevitably devolve into a tyranny of the momentarily strong over the weak.

This is one of the reasons why we must be very careful what we allow each other to declare to be universal principles. Especially when the result of said "principles" includes the idea that one or more elements of the society should be discarded for the sake of the pleasure of another element.

Entitlement is a delusion of grandeur propagated by people in charge of pyramid schemes in order to get others to buy in. The only thing that we, as humans are "Entitled" to is conception. After that whether or not your life is low and conferrable or short and painful is internally up to chance and circumstance. History is full of people that start at the top and end up at the bottom, start at the bottom and end up at the top. Their are even some that end up at both end several time during their lives.

In the end no one is entitled to anything, not even a date with someone they see on a dating web site.

Of course we have 'entitlement thinking ' in the USA (& others).

Perfect Example: Ferguson Missouri, where the riots began. FIVE GENERATIONS ON WELFARE.



* That's what you looking for? * Your welcome

5 generations?!!...I guess they didn't burn and loot the welfare office.. for some strange reason, that was spared.

Don't want to delay that check.

In my opinion, as 'human-beings' we 'do' inherently' deserve a 'few' things, such as:

(a) To smell the fragrance of a 'Rose' (or any other flower, for that matter...)

(b) Experiencing the 'beauty' of a 'Rainbow' embellishing the distant horizon...

(c) Stopping by the woods on a 'snowy evening' (or otherwise), to be enthralled by, say, a 'wood-pecker' at work...

(d) To 'feel the Sunlight' on our face...

(e) To perceive those 'rain drops' on our skin...

(f) To build a castle on a beach...

All incidents related to Mother Nature - YES!

Apparently if you are blind, def, confined to a hospital bed or mentally deficient in such a way that stimulant such as those listed above don't register well in your brain, you are undeserving.

i am reminded of something that occurs in hospitals...

everyone has the right to die a good death, but only those who can afford to can drag it out...entitlement...really now?

That depends on your idea of a "Good Death."

Not my idea, but the person dying...and everyone else they might be related to