A Culture of False Entitlement
This is the second post of the thread of "A Culture of Dilution". I was driving to school this morning in the pouring rain and was cut off by a small Toyota. This in nothing new on I285, as I continued to watch this car it cut off 6 other people before it sped off down the interstate. A few years back there was a movement for slavery reparations, Ben Folds says,"he's blasting me with Hate because my great great great great grandad made someones great great great great grandad his slave, it wasn't my idea?!?! The debate still rages, Its my body! I have the choice if I want to keep the baby or not! If you go the a High School Football game in Alabama, against State and Federal Law you will still hear a Christian prayer over the PA system. When a court order came to stop those prayers, the christians persevered through the persecution and led massive rallies to protest for their rights.
We live in a culture of False Entitlement. We too often mistake what we deserve, which are our rights, for the things we want and feel we are entitled to. The driver feels as though they are entitled to have a spot infront of everyone else and at the risk of everyone elses safety, these "important people" are who cause the wrecks on our highways. I believe we should fight systems that oppress, that calls us to look forward and be prophetic, not pay for something we had no control over. If we want to be really technical, most everyone's relatives were at somepoint slaves, I'm Irish, I know my people slaves at somepoints in Americas history. Yes lady it is your body, it is your body to be responsible for, if you do not want to get pregnant then either do not have sex or be prepared to face the realities if you do, its called responsibility. Backwoods Betty and Bible Thumping Bobby, I hate to tell you, but you have no right to impose your 10 commandments, PA prayers and religion on anyone, I consider myself a Christian and I do not want to hear a prayer for a good game and may the best team win, God doesn't give a shit which team wins, so dont bother him with it. This is my rant, I have the right to rant it, I however am not entitled to make you read it, but thanks for doing so.
Pax
Stephen
posted by Mary Liz Ingram @ 11:10 PM
9 Comments:
Well Thomas,
I believe, unfortunately, it is going to have to get worse before getting better. History tends to show these social trends solidifying themselves in a culture for a generation or two and then a radical paradigm shift led by a younger generation. It seems to me to be a very touchy subject right now. If you fight ne strand of it then you are a liberal, another you are a racist, yet another you are an athiest. I do not mind being called names but as the current administration has proved to us, if you call someone the right name enough times you can justify bombing them. What do you think?
Pax
Stephen
I agree that people in society feel entitled to things that they aren't, but I disagree with several of the examples given in your post. Issues like slave reparations and abortion are far too complicated to gloss over as instances of false entitlement. The blog examined both of those issues according to their worst representatives, and I think any position deserves to be judged at its best. I'm curious to hear elaborations on how abortion or reparations are representative of a culture of false entitlement.
Pesci,
Good thought, as in most discussions the examples given were ones that best I felt best illustrated the idea of False Entitlement. Reparations, I feel are by are wrong. How, in any way, does throwing money at an individual for something they had no part in help the issue of disinfranchisment, racism, or social justice? I do not belive it helps at all. Instead of reparations why not invest that money and more importantly time into schools in mostly Black areas, community programs for the kids after school, a corrections system in those areas that actually work towards "correcting problems" hense the word corrections, instead of punishment. Once again I feel we look to the past and are reactive instead of looking at the future and being proactive.
The second example of abortion is one that I do catch alot of flack for. I have explained my position on a previous blog post on October 13 called "Potentiality is the Key". Our justice system is set up not to hold high a Jewish/ Christian value system. It is set up to give voice, protection and justice to those who either do not have it or are without advocate. The reason why theft is against the law is because it infringes on the right to own, murder infringes on the right to live. Many would argue that to not let a woman abort a fetus infringes on her rights as well. She potentially gives up sole rights to her body in that way when she decided to partake in the act that could lead to pregnancy. I know there are cases of rape, incest and other extenuating circumstances, but these are rare and should be looked at individually. If I am wanted by the police and decide to run from them, they chase me down and corner me, they have no right to pull their guns on me and shoot me. If I pull out a gun they then have right to shoot me. Why is this? It is because I made a choice in my actions that they forfieted that right to not be shot at. When a woman has sex, she does so with the knowledge that pregnancy is a potential circumstance, this is where she gives uf that right. It is false entitlement to think or act otherwise. What do you think? I know this is a traditionally conservative position but please do not hear it with religious overtones, it is strictly a issue of the rights of the silent minority.
Pax
Stephen
Stephen,
As far as reparations go, I feel that the idea, the sentiment, behind them is what's important. I don't think that it will ever actually happen (and I don't think they should). But are African Americans entitled to something? Yes. Entitled to what? is the million dollar question. There's no monetary value to it. But slave reparations highlights how poverty is cyclical, and African Americans have been forced into that position for over three hundred years. Ray Charles says it best: "If you got to have something before you can get something, how you get your first is a mystery to me." Well said Ray.
In terms of abortion, you seem to frame the issue with civil rights language. Our choices determine how the law respects or does not respect our civil rights. When a woman has sex and get s pregnant, the civil rights of the fetus trump those of the mother because the mother made a decision and the unborn baby didn't. The problem here is that what happens when it isn't a woman's choice to have sex? This is not just a question of violent rape. A teenage girl is pressured or coerced into sex and becomes pregnant. Forcing her to endure nine months of pregnancy, social/religious shame, financial expenses she has no way to handle, etc. The guy gets off scotch free, and the pregnancy is perhaps more his responsibility than hers.
Then there's the question of education and economics. Sex ed is crucial to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and the ones who don't receive this are the ones who can least afford (monetarily) to have a child. Tax money goes to Welfare, crime rises due to increased economic desparation. Are we really protecting the fetus by forcing it to be born into this situation?
Then there's the women's rights issue, which gets more to your point about entitlement. I do think a woman is entitled to decide what her body goes through. You know more than I how diffucult a pregnancy can be. And that's when everything goes as planned. Should a woman have no say over her own body?
Great response! If it is an issue of being able to do what she wants with her body then why are Third Trimester Abortions illegal? I do completely agree with you when you ask if we are really protecting the fetus by birthing them into a desperate situation. I do not know if you had a chance to read the post I cited in my last response but I address the church's role in that regard. It is interesting because we both have good arguments; it basically comes down to a differing opinion on who gets the priority. My new question is who has to suffer least, the woman enduring a 9-month pregnancy or the baby enduring death. This is not rhetorical question; I simply do not know the answer. I think this is a healthy discussion I would like to have a female voice in this as well because the reality is you and I will never bear this burden fully. I hope all is well with you guys, take care buddy!
Pax
Stephen
Stephen,
I don't think third trimester abortions should be illegal, or partial-birth abortions for that matter. The law is simply inconsistent in that regard (which has more to do with democracy, compromise, and power ploitics than it does the interests of mother and baby). In regards to your question about suffering, I'm not sure what good it does to talk about comparisons between the mother and the child. And can a fetus suffer in the way that a woman can? You would have to answer that question first, and I don't think it's answerable. But I challenge the question because I feel that it still considers abortion as though the woman and unborn child (and their suffering) exist in isolation. Problems like this are far too comlpicated to view in terms of the individual. This is very American, I realize. To lift up the protection of the individual as the main responsibility of government has a long tradition in this country. But economic, political, and social systems are neglected by this mindset. And problems like poverty, STDs, classism, racism--all these things are perpetuated by systems, not individuals; and I think individualistic ethics might not be adequate for such issues.(though I'm not saying there's no place for it or that it is inherently bad, quite the contrary.)
What do you think? Admittedly, I'm sort of thinknig out loud. These are not thoughts that I've spent too much time developing, so I'm eager to hear your feedback. Good discussion!
I wish we had a good stat guy that looked in on these sorts of discussions. If stat guy were here I would ask him what are the percentages of abortions in women split into race, social class and education. I would bet you would see less lowerclass black mothers of 5 living in a ghetto and more 19 year old sorority girl who's daddy is a businessman and does not want his little princess to have to deal with the consequences of her last Concun Spring Fling. If this were true, shich I do not know if it is, the argument of poverty and a lesser life would loose its edge. As far as Individualism vs Systems I must argue we can never sacrafice the individual for the system. That is very much the attitude of the Nazi's when dealing and experimenting with Eugenics. I do know this is an extreme example. I think I will have to do some more research on the division of class and race in abortion before I can formulate this argument any further.
I really hope I am not repeating myself, if I am please let me know. Still a great discussion! Keep it going! Take Care Buddy!
Pax
Stephen
I also don't think the individual should be sacrificed in any way for a system. My point is more that we cannot forget that there are structures in place in our society that individuals are a part of like it or not. To focus on the abortion problem only from the perspective of an individual/s (mother and/or child) loses sight of that. I also wish we had stat guy involved in this conversation, cause I believe the numbers would add up differently than you think. But I can't prove that becasue stat guy eludes us. Where are you when we need you, stat guy! We hear stats all the time when we don't need them. So where are you now! Show yourself!!......nothing. Oh well.
Hey I bumped into stat guy in the grocery store and told him of our discussion, he was very apologetic for his absence, he and Mrs. Stat guy have been having some issues. He told me he would emial me some stats and sure enought here(http://womensissues.about.com/cs/abortionstats/a/aaabortionstats.htm) they are. Look over them and tell me what the look like to you, I have not looked over them carefully but will over the next couple of days. Thanks Stat guy!!!
Pax
Stephen
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