Soccer Mom: Unplugged

There we were, sitting at lunch, barely enough room at the table to put the plates, silverware and glasses when it happened. (It's hard to seat six in a restaurant booth.) I told my sons, all of whom were playing with little toys they had brought into IHOP to keep themselves occupied, to put their toys away so there would be more room to eat comfortably.  My older two boys complied but child three, Mr. Fiercely Independent who just turned four this month, got tremendously upset at the infringement on his personal freedom.  We gave in to avoid any unpleasantness (knowing from experience that he will soon outgrow the need to hold onto his toys 24/7) and he continued to cry.  Turns out, even after he got what he wanted, he was crying because he felt we had unfairly treated his brothers!  Now, let me be clear, my older boys were not feeling vicimized in the least.  They had no idea what the fuss was for. 

It hit me right then and there that unless we hold a serious intervention, my little boy may grow up to be a lawyer for the ACLU.  I was beside myself until I remembered that I was the same way as a child.  I remember screaming at my dad when I was little for punishing my brother when he broke the family rules.  Perhaps, my son will follow my example and grow out of this behavior as he comes to understand that sometimes we sacrifice our rights for the general welfare.  Hopefully, he will come to understand as he matures that he is simply not entitled to everything.

Unfortunately, I can only hope, because there are so many people in this country who haven't outgrown this inclination.  There is a huge subculture in America made up of people who believe that they are simply entitled to everything.  They feel that they deserve cable t.v. or satellite, new cars, trend setting clothes, to own their own home, and a host of other things.  And unfortunately, there is another group out there determined the defend the "rights" of the entitlement demanding crowd.  They shout to them, "You are victims.  You deserve more "  and then the clincher, "Follow me and I make sure that you get yours."  These social terrorists are so busy decrying injustice and convincing others that they are victims that they they fail to see the real damage they are doing.

The real damage comes in the form of an undermined constitution.  Instead of guaranteeing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we are now supposed to offer life, liberty and hi-speed internet.  Equality of opportunity now means not just a hand up through school loans and job placement, it means taking the opportunities away from others because they aren't the right ethnicity or gender.   It comes in the form of an overtaxed working class and a wealthy class that has to skirt the law, banking off shore to keep from paying nearly half of their income in taxes.  It comes in the form of a people devoid of gratitude for what they deem they deserve and a people resentful of being stripped of what they have worked hard to obtain.  It breeds divisiness and dissension and is fostering a new civil war akin to the communist revolution in which a gang of activists legislate a redistribution of wealth so as to pad their voting bloc.  It comes in the form of selfishness - people who would give out of good and noble motives feel raped as they see, reflected in their paychecks, that what they would have offered freely is taken by force.  It comes in a pandemic of unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and a nation of mentally drained and overwhelmed workers who feel the ever increasing weight of out of control government programs on their shoulders.

The movement of victimology (creating victims out of ordinary citizens) and it's compatriot, the entitlementarian club, allow for judicial miscarriages such as the "twinkie defense" and foster the perfect breeding ground for hate of anyone who mas more.

As reasonable people, who realize the sense of purpose that comes from working hard and earning an honest wage, the dignity of laboring and the honor of knowing that you really deserve what you have, how long will we wait for this terrorizing faction to grow up?  How long will we foot the bill, like indulgent parents, for those who refuse to mature and accept responsibility for themselves?  At what point do we push those spoiled little birds out of the nest and make them fly?  And how long do we allow those coniving few, the victim builders, to scream fire in a smoke free theatre?

For now, I'm going to leave this problem in your capable hands, America, I have three children and a four year old victim's rights advocate to put to bed.