Describe The Relationship Between Entitlement And Materialism

Entitlement, the belief that one is deserving or entitled to certain privileges. What does this mean in our society? Our country has become an entitlement society. Causing a negative effect not only to our generation, but to our economy as well. This culture of entitlement is teaching an entire generation to be dependant on the government. Breeding a generation with little motivation and ambition. Our country's values which say we all have the ability to earn prosperity through whatever means necessary within the law. It isn't right to take from the hard working class to give to those who aren’t in true need of government assistance.

Only a couple of decades ago, hard work and determination guided people to obtain a piece of the opportunity America is all about. Lately there is a surge in having our fifteen minutes of fame and work less, buy more. There are Americans who feel that materialism is the way to obtain true American happiness. TV ads bombard the population with information on what is truly needed to be the best. All media outlets convey how to be more like the famous. Commercials inform on how this star uses this phone and this athlete buys this car. In trying to assimilate to others, some continue to spend even though they cannot afford it. In “Framing Class, Vicarious Living,

Nozick’s entitlement theory is a theory of justice and how society regulates the distribution of goods, money and property. “All that matters for Noziak is how people came to have what they have, not the pattern or results of the distribution of goods.” (Shaw and Barry, pg.115) His entitlement theory comprises of three main principles which were:

The saying ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ is very accurate. A key example of this can be seen in many studies done on people’s lives after they win the lottery. Approximately seventy percent of people who win end up unhappy, some even eventually commit suicide. Those with new found wealth often discover some people are only around for their money. According to studies, it’s common for the wealthy to feel that they are superior to people of a lower class, they can also feel a sense of entitlement. These traits can put a strain on their relationships with other people. In the pages that follow this paper will explain that possessing material items such as money, may bring temporary satisfaction, but cannot provide someone with true happiness.

The universal truth that feelings of entitlement restrict enlightenment is evident in the essay “What is Poverty?” by Theodore Dalrymple through effective presentation of the Marxist Theory and Psychoanalytical Theory. Firstly, the universal truth that feelings of entitlement restrict enlightenment is displayed by the idea that enlightenment is not given, but it is achieved and discovered. Being given something is not the same as working for it and earning it. When an individual may be given something that the feel is an entitlement, they do not feel or understand the effort that went into gifting or giving them the object. The idea is showcased through a quote from the essay “What is Poverty?”:

My people regard themselves to being committed and having faith in a particular religion, but what does this mean exactly? To some people, it’s this expectation to take this leap into the unbelievable and if they didn’t they would be criticized or perhaps in less developed regions executed. Apprehension towards God is simply not even a question in some of these regions since their lives depend on it. With reasons like this, it seems to me that religion in itself is a sham to create this false sense of entitlement to the world as well as an unfair hope of an afterlife, so to me I can’t believe in faith based religion. In theory much like love, faith is this grand idea that someone could love something for no apparent reason other than to just to be infatuated with it. This couldn’t be farther from the truth though as no one in this world does something for nothing. There is always a motive to any one person’s actions whether for greed or self-comfort. It’s also possible that I have the whole idea wrong, since I’ve never been able to remove this discomfort that there is nothing more to life than to just be here.

Today, people focus only on how much. Success is not seen as happiness; it is shown solely by how much money one makes. This belief is the inverse of what Emerson and Thoreau believed in. Their predictions about what society would be like, in a materialistic world, are spot on. See that people today are programmed to practice materialism, it creates a very competitive society. There is a smaller emphasises on moral values and a strong emphasis on materialistic values. With this comes negative effects

We don’t have a choice with what family we are born into. Often times, the socioeconomic status we are born with dictates the rest of our lives, from our education, equality, and opportunities. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, these aspects of our lives remain true till the day we die. Entitlement, or expectations as some may put it, sticks with citizens and prevents them from achieving their dreams. However, we must remember that entitlement is not concrete; rather, it is an entirely falsified form of classifying those below the top class, cognitively inhibiting one’s ability to pursue their goals—something everyone should overcome.

How does American society define one’s self-worth? By how they look, what they drive or simply what they buy? In today’s consumer centric American culture, our goods represent us as Americans as well as the American cultural identity that revolves around materialistic goods. In which a typical American works from 9am-5pm to earn a sufficient amounts of money to buy and display his self-worth through a variety of cleverly advertised goods. In which the advertisement depicts a perfect world that is free of pain, suffering, where the typical American can escape his routine life and experience ephemeral “freedom”. To this very purpose of freedom that our founding fathers wrote the constitution to which today’s conformities ideals and societal norms

" We are living in a material world." This famous line in one of Madonna's songs entitled "Material Girl" will never outgrow itself. Ever since the beginnings of monetary means, the main focus of living is getting more money and to be as successful as possible. This became a huge issue during the 1920's. In this era, people made money from the stock market, illegal bootlegging and so forth. With these people hitting the jackpot, this then created a new rank called `new money'. This rank, however, never overpowered `old money' the most wealthiest, well-known and respected class. The possession of material wealth however, can't bring true happiness. Love is an important factor in this equation; when you don't have love, it is hard to say

American's Sense of Entitlement In today's society, people have the "what can you do for me" attitude. The nation has lost their sense of self worth and value of good moral ethics. American culture has many people feeling that the world owes them something, even when they did nothing to deserve it. Today's culture has left Americans feeling a sense of entitlement from the people around them, such as parents, teachers, and even the government to grant them commodity regardless of their efforts.

The framework of the anti-entitlement theory contends that life is one of humility and dependence and that we all share a connectedness through our choices in life. The anti-entitlement theory posits the idea that individuals must take ownership for their choices with the understanding of real consequences in addition to the idea that nobody is owed anything. Additionally, the theoretical framework conceded that we must come to the realization that there are positive and negative events in this world and that we need to accept the negative connotations presented to us through and ideal and realistic understanding about true

The greed for wealth and materialistic objects is an intrinsic component of human nature. It plays a crucial role as motivation for one to work to achieve financial success. However, when one singularly focuses on money and ignores all else, their greed becomes detrimental to their state of mind. People whose ambitions revolve solely around becoming wealthy and successful often ignore other aspects of life that are equally important for happiness, including relationships, health, and personal freedom. As a result, those who manage to obtain material success often find that they are not fulfilled by their riches, and seek to become even more wealthy; however, they can never achieve true satisfaction when they are in this cycle of avarice.

Over and over again, people are told by society that money and possessions are the keys to a better life; society repeatedly enforces the idea that money and possessions are significant goals that should be aspired for. However, "in order to gain monetary wealth, and move up in the world, it often requires manipulation, a high focus on financial means, and relationships with others that are agenda based" (Dr. Reef Karim). In other words, traits that can foster business success and wealth can be damaging in other areas. Several studies, run by social psychologist Professor Paul Piff, are conducted to determine the impact that materialistic wants have on a person's well-being. The first study conducted is the dictator test, the second study is the Monopoly test, and the third study is the pedestrian crossing experiment. The studies yield findings that support the idea that people with materialistic pursuits have lower personal well-being and psychological health than those who are not focused on materialistic values. As a

Today, people consume for pleasure. The act of consuming goods may allow one to fit in, feel confident, or participate socially in shopping culture. Consumerism has become a universal behaviour amongst most people and groups. According to Sharon Boden, consumption is affected by both external and internal constraints and expectations (150). I argue that consumerism and consumption is no longer an accurate indicator of a person’s actual status and wealth. As a society, we have increased accessibility to commodities and experiences. For example, driving a Mercedes-Benz is no longer a symbol of being wealthy or belonging to the upper class. Leases or loans have brought such luxuries to a broader spectrum of social