Darren Wilson's Side of the Story

[BlueStreak]

Yes, Finn. I like to watch them go at it and follow the effects.

Do you feel entitled to your pension and retirement benefits? You should, because you earned them. Someone out there wants us all to believe we are entitled to nothing. Moreover, they appear to want us to be ashamed of feeling entitled to anything. It's theft, don't ya know? Only "thugs" feel entitled to things............

Makes it easier for them to cut costs when the time is right.

At least, this is my theory. I don't have solid proof. But, I'm fairly sure if I put forth serious effort, (Which I won't.) I could probably find some.

Dave

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by Zeke

But feeling entitled to it is why you feel no qualms about taking it and react aggressively when questioned.

Depends on what "it" is and how you got it. I think someone is trying to blur that line a bit.

Dave

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Depends on what "it" is and how you got it. I think someone is trying to blur that line a bit.

Dave

"It" = stuff believed deserved (like cigars or cheap labor) for which you have no rightful claim beyond believing it should be yours.

Leads to criminal activity on micro and macro scales.

[sheltiedave]

It is meant to blur the lines between earned entitlement, entitlement benefits, and outright theft and criminal behaviour.

Social security, Medicare, and pensions are entitlements.

Unemployment is a form of an entitlement benefit, as your employer pays insurance(tax) into the program in the event you must be laid off.

By demonizing the word, they meld an honorable set of earned social program structures and negotiated/earned employee monetary set asides with criminal behaviour. It won't be long before a majority of sheep in the country will react in horror at all these widely different "entitlements" with the same Pavlovian conditioning. Then the fun starts.

Witness the Wisconsin test balloon that demonized public sector union employees. By splitting the public sector Democrat leaning unions and the staunchly Republican police and firefighter public sector unions, Walker managed to strip the government service unions of a majority of their negotiated benefits/power, and maintained his position as governor.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Yes, Finn. I like to watch them go at it and follow the effects.

Do you feel entitled to your pension and retirement benefits? You should, because you earned them. Someone out there wants us all to believe we are entitled to nothing. Moreover, they appear to want us to be ashamed of feeling entitled to anything. It's theft, don't ya know? Only "thugs" feel entitled to things............

Makes it easier for them to cut costs when the time is right.

At least, this is my theory. I don't have solid proof. But, I'm fairly sure if I put forth serious effort, (Which I won't.) I could probably find some.

Dave

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Depends on what "it" is and how you got it. I think someone is trying to blur that line a bit.

Dave

Agree on both points. People that fashion political arguments for the masses like to keep it simple and repeat it often. Gotta stay on message, you know. For whatever reason, the GOP seems better at it. Perhaps Goebbels' message resonates better with them.

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Yeah, that's how I see it. Because the individual sees himself as entitled to something does not mean that he is. You are entitled only to things that you have earned or at the very least, been granted legally.

This labelling of so many things as "entitlements" and subsequently tying the word "entitlement" to "theft" and "violence" smells like a manipulative move to me. A psychological twist meant to make people feel guilty and ashamed to expect benefits they have either earned or has been legally made available to them.

See what I'm getting at, Don?

Dave

Oh yeah. They are making a wedge, and a very nasty one.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by sheltiedave

It is meant to blur the lines between earned entitlement, entitlement benefits, and outright theft and criminal behaviour.

Social security, Medicare, and pensions are entitlements.

Unemployment is a form of an entitlement benefit, as your employer pays insurance(tax) into the program in the event you must be laid off.

By demonizing the word, they meld an honorable set of earned social program structures and negotiated/earned employee monetary set asides with criminal behaviour. It won't be long before a majority of sheep in the country will react in horror at all these widely different "entitlements" with the same Pavlovian conditioning. Then the fun starts.

Witness the Wisconsin test balloon that demonized public sector union employees. By splitting the public sector Democrat leaning unions and the staunchly Republican police and firefighter public sector unions, Walker managed to strip the government service unions of a majority of their negotiated benefits/power, and maintained his position as governor.

There it is.

Dave

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by Zeke

But feeling entitled to it is why you feel no qualms about taking it and react aggressively when questioned.

You know, i don't buy any of that.

People don't have qualms if they haven't internalized norms that say they shouldn't steal, or if other motives overcome such qualms. There are lots of possibilities. For just one example, the desire to 'be one of the guys' can be very motivating. If a leader says 'you must do this, or you're out,' guess what is likely to happen, even if you know perfectly well that you aren't 'entitled.'

People are aggressive when they feel threatened, oftentimes, aren't they?

I'd love it if you could point me to some actual research data that has uncovered this entitlement feeling as necessary and sufficient to explain the majority of instances of criminal behavior. I'm interested to know where you're getting this.

[ZeroJunk]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

No, I don't have to think that. A man who walks away from his kids isn't doing it because he knows they'll get food stamps, he does it because he doesn't care what happens to them. He's an asshole. Assholes don't care.

Dave

Well, it is about 70% in the black inner city.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

I'm interested to know where you're getting this.

Try having something another feels entitled to which they have the power to take.

You'll learn pretty quickly what causes aberrant behavior.