Entitlementality

Michael Goodwin describes the worsening entitlement mentality in this country. He calls it "the gimme culture".

"From that willful ignorance, it's perfectly acceptable to demand pay without work, or, almost as insidious, pay and pensions that dwarf those of your neighbors who foot the bill.
It is also perfectly acceptable to assume that, if you have a house you can't afford, the government -- again, your neighbors -- should be dunned to help you keep it. If your business is failing, the government's deep pockets are there to bail you out, no?
Or if your child can't read, it's not your fault. It's the teacher or the school system or the mayor. Any scapegoat will do, as long as it's not you.
This is the noise of the entitlement culture as it plays out every day. It is contagious and so ingrained in how we live and think -- somebody else is to blame and must pay -- that we no longer think twice before demanding total satisfaction and expressing outrage when we don't get it.
We are entitled to it now because we want it, whatever it is. If somebody else has it first, then we have been cheated and are doubly furious.
As for giving it back, or taking less, what are you, a sucker? This is America, man, a free country.
Indeed it is, and that's the problem. We are free to be endlessly selfish, and nobody dares to tell us no."