Thursday, May 14, 2009

Entitlement Culture

I don't think I'm alone in feeling that the entitlement culture is a big part of what's wrong with today's world, largely in how it ties into education and anti-intellectualism.
I really truly want for every child to understand how marvelous they are, and what great things they are surely capable of. What I do not want, is to achieve this by breeding a generation of under-achieving couch potatoes because they've been told every steaming loaf they pinch off is the best thing since sliced bread.
Perhaps I'm generalizing too broadly, but it feels as if every time I turn on the TV, I'm beset by images of horrible idiots who can't seem to realize their own stupidity, because anyone calling them on their stupid decisions is being hurtful and vicious.
In this world, through a looking glass but slightly dim, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Criticism of which, or pointing out how poorly it meshes with reality, is equivalent to quashing their First amendment rights.

Well, this rant is now only barely connected to what inspired it, so I'll just leave you this letter response from Neil Gaiman to a fan. The fan had emailed Gaiman about how upset he was that George RR Martin had, gasp, a life outside of providing this fan the next book.
Honestly, I feel that Gaiman was a little harsh considering the man's message by itself.
But who knows, maybe it's just that I'm not an author (despite all my wishing really really hard!), and this kind of entitlement is simply so grating even a whiff of it needs to be excoriated instantly.
But it includes some very important advice, that I think all of you need to take to heart right now, and forever more:
"George Martin is not your bitch"

Well, unless maybe you're Neil Gaiman (I feel an RPS coming on!).

2 comments:

Alison said...

LOL

"George Martin is not your bitch"Greater words have never been spoken.

Ok, Yes, I agree, this culture of entitlement in the US specifically is a huge problem. In fact I would go so far as to say that this obsession we have with 'what we deserve' has a very large hand in all the wars that we have participated in since WW2.

I can't tell you how much of this entitlement epidemic I have seen at MCAD. People who were fawned over for having a smattering of artistic talent but upon arriving at MCAD realized that they would actually have to work hard and that their "talent" was really less than special on its own. Most of them throw fits and blame their teachers, their peers, anyone but themselves. A few of them get their heads out of their butts and start working hard and become great but most of them just drift away back to their couches.

XStina said...

LOL, Poor George Martin!

Also, I agree with Ali, very well spoken m'dear! *applause*