- Oct 7, 2011
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Very good article on 'Generation Gimme' by College Student Celia Bigelow.
As young people head home for the holidays, theyre bracing for unsolicited advice and stories from their elders about how life used to require hard work and how young generations have an entitlement mentality.
Its time my generation listens up, though ironically it was our grandparents generation that generated that sense of entitlement.
I grew up in a lower-middle-class family in a wealthy suburb of Detroit, Michigan (yes, they exist). Money became a major concern after my parents split when I was in second grade. My mother and I moved into a cramped, one-floor house in a low-income area, where she worked extremely hard so I could enjoy our wonderful public school system.
My mother was tough on me starting at an early age. I had to work hard for the simple things in life clothes, treats, toys, etc. When I was too young to get a job, I did chores around the house to earn a $5 weekly salary. This empowered me to save money to buy toys and do fun activities with friends. However, this was not how most families in my city operated. My acquaintances enjoyed much more luxurious lifestyles than I did, and they didnt have to work a single minute for it. This didnt sit well with me.
It hit me much harder in high school. Most of the cars in my high schools student parking lot were worth over $50,000 more than any car in the teachers lot was worth. What is even more pathetic is that while mommy and daddy were writing the checks to pay for these vehicles, their children were doing drugs.
America has a culture problem, and I think the cause of that problem is Big Government. Entitlement programs have taken away the sense of personal responsibility that Americans used to have. Now, Americans dont worry about the future because they think that the government has their backs. Americans have lost the ability to govern themselves.
Its difficult to teach the masses how to govern themselves when they have grown up in a society that fosters a sense of entitlement. Its even more difficult to teach self-government when Big Government continues to turn Americans against one another: the poor and the middle class against the big,bad rich folks.
Read more: FDR | Entitlements | How FDR made my generation lazy and entitled | The Daily Caller
As young people head home for the holidays, theyre bracing for unsolicited advice and stories from their elders about how life used to require hard work and how young generations have an entitlement mentality.
Its time my generation listens up, though ironically it was our grandparents generation that generated that sense of entitlement.
I grew up in a lower-middle-class family in a wealthy suburb of Detroit, Michigan (yes, they exist). Money became a major concern after my parents split when I was in second grade. My mother and I moved into a cramped, one-floor house in a low-income area, where she worked extremely hard so I could enjoy our wonderful public school system.
My mother was tough on me starting at an early age. I had to work hard for the simple things in life clothes, treats, toys, etc. When I was too young to get a job, I did chores around the house to earn a $5 weekly salary. This empowered me to save money to buy toys and do fun activities with friends. However, this was not how most families in my city operated. My acquaintances enjoyed much more luxurious lifestyles than I did, and they didnt have to work a single minute for it. This didnt sit well with me.
It hit me much harder in high school. Most of the cars in my high schools student parking lot were worth over $50,000 more than any car in the teachers lot was worth. What is even more pathetic is that while mommy and daddy were writing the checks to pay for these vehicles, their children were doing drugs.
America has a culture problem, and I think the cause of that problem is Big Government. Entitlement programs have taken away the sense of personal responsibility that Americans used to have. Now, Americans dont worry about the future because they think that the government has their backs. Americans have lost the ability to govern themselves.
Its difficult to teach the masses how to govern themselves when they have grown up in a society that fosters a sense of entitlement. Its even more difficult to teach self-government when Big Government continues to turn Americans against one another: the poor and the middle class against the big,bad rich folks.
Read more: FDR | Entitlements | How FDR made my generation lazy and entitled | The Daily Caller
