I doubt there is anyone who can make an intelligent argument against the fact that we have become the society with the biggest sense of entitlement in the history of our world. In fact, the bulk of all government spending is for a series of programs actually called "entitlement" programs.
People actually believe they are owed a living while doing nothing on their own to make sure they are employed or have any savings. Folks believe they are owed retirement income, even though they spent every dime they had their entire working lives with little or no thought about what would happen in the future. People think they are owed unending unemployment benefits, and many believe they are owed complete health care despite having destroyed their own health by smoking or overeating. Bottom line: People believe they are entitled to compensation for consequences they brought on themselves due to their irresponsible lifestyle and stupid choices.
How did this happen? How did we reach this point? My parent's generation didn't think this way. Yet they raised the baby boomers who created this mess. And now the baby boomers have raised a generation with an even bigger sense of entitlement. What happened to the baby boomers to move them from being self-sufficient like their parents to becoming so self-indulgent? Answer: The self-help movement. Before the baby boomers, there wasn't a self-help movement, there was only the "help yourself" movement.
So is the self-help industry a bad thing? Not all of it for sure, but much of it is. The original intent of the movement was to get people to realize that they had the power, all within themselves, to change their results. It was meant to give them the confidence to go out and work and use their talents to create success, happiness and prosperity. It was a message meant to empower people to becoming all that they had the potential to be. That message of empowerment is important and necessary and powerful. However, that message has sadly, been twisted and corrupted and in many cases, lost. We turned empowerment into entitlement.
