A Sense of Entitlement

In psychiatry we use the term "sense of entitlement" to describe the outrageous attitude of some of our more narcissistic clients who believe that the world "owes" them and they want to collect NOW. Patients with this type of attitude always want more. Whatever you do is never good enough for them, and they also generally show no gratitute or express any thanks--even when someone goes out of their way for them. Like the most spoiled of royalty, they merely expect that they should be the center of your world at all times.

This attitude is normally seen in toddlers, who want what they want and they want it now. Every parent has had to deal with this kind of whining. When you see this attitude repeatedly in an adult, then you know you are dealing with psychopathology. Many adults whimper at the slightest inconvenience, delay, or restriction. Why? Because, like toddlers, they are convinced they deserve what they want when they want it. They are "entitled" to it.

That brings me to the latest whining from the United Nations. It is impossible to make this stuff up:

But U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland suggested that the United States and other Western nations were being "stingy" with relief funds, saying there would be more available if taxes were raised.

"It is beyond me why are we so stingy, really," the Norwegian-born U.N. official told reporters. "Christmastime should remind many Western countries at least, [of] how rich we have become."

"There are several donors who are less generous than before in a growing world economy," he said, adding that politicians in the United States and Europe "believe that they are really burdening the taxpayers too much, and the taxpayers want to give less. It's not true. They want to give more."

This unbelievable statement was made after the U.S. made an initial $15 Million dollars available (the most of any country of the world) for immediate aid to the striken area. This does not even include the food and other humanitarian aid that the U.S. is making available, nor does it count the enormous private efforts of U.S. citizens which will be forthcoming and likely be substantial.

In an incredible turnaround, it is the "World" which seems to believe that the U.S. "owes" it a living. There seems to be no end to the sense of entitlement that every country in the world directs towards the U.S.

Like the toddler whose endless demands are interspersed with the "I hate you! I hate you!" when they don't get their way, the many countries of the world seem to think that the U.S. is a neverending source of money and goods that flow effortlessly from some mysterious source. I especially like the comment that "there would be more available if taxes were raised".

If it wasn't clear before, it must be crystal clear to Americans that the U.N. believes the benefits of their work and effort are to be redistributed to the entire world--if the oil-for-food scandal hadn't already awakened them.

American generosity and goodwill takes second place to noone. And I have no doubt that the generous people of this country will be contributing substantially and probably in greater amounts than any other people--all WITHOUT a raise in their taxes. But WE really are not the problem. The problem is the narcissistic sense of entitlement, perfectly exemplified by an official of the United Nations. This sense of entitlement led these same officials to waste billions of dollars (most of it American Taxpayer money) increasing the wealth of one of the world's greatest desposts. Not only are they in no position to make moral judgements on the U.S., but the fact that they continue to do so indicates a degree of psychopathology that is unlikely to change by any rational appeal to their good sense, because they clearly have none.

Why does the U.S. have any need to placate these narcissistic, entitled, whining, incompetent thugs? It is time for the U.S. to do the civilized thing. It is time to get out of this League of Looters.

UPDATE: (via Instapundit) "Stingy, eh?" - my sentiments exactly.
UPDATE II: The Amazon.com site above has now collected over $2Million and growing.
UPDATE III: Jonah Goldberg has some interesting statistics in his column about US support of the UN. Check it out. And this NY Post editorial.