Sunday, April 5, 2020

Entitled

South Carolina is one of a handful of states that is still without a "stay at home" order. Although all non essential businesses have been ordered to close, there are still plenty of stores open that, to my mind, really push the boundaries of "essential". Our beaches and state parks were finally closed last week, and about time, too. Far too many people are still (still!) not taking social distancing seriously enough.

There's a reporter/photographer for our local newspaper who used to be a parent volunteer at the school where I work. Her oldest child is a senior in high school this year. On Friday, the first day of our district's spring break, she published a series of photos in the paper of her son and his baseball teammates cavorting around a swimming pool at one of the boy's homes. She made a throwaway comment at the end about the boys celebrating "while being mindful of social distancing guidelines". I call bullshit. Look at these photos. Do these young men look like they're being mindful of being 6 feet apart at all times to you?

COVID-19 images Friday from Florence

COVID-19 images Friday from Florence

She went on to lament the fact that the boys had planned to spend spring break at the beach, but now they can't because of the Covid-19 restrictions. Some of her fellow parents of seniors (mostly all upper middle class white women) have been on social media whining about their poor little babies who are going to miss prom and graduation this year.

THIS IS WHILE PEOPLE ARE GETTING SICK AND DYING! THIS IS WHILE OUR MEDICAL WORKERS AND GROCERY/DRUG STORE CLERKS ARE RISKING THEIR LIVES TO PROVIDE FOR OUR NEEDS DURING THIS CRISIS!

I can't stand the entitlement. It just burns me up. Look, I get it. I know that high school seniors are disappointed to miss out on major milestones, and I would have been disappointed at that age, too. But what about civic responsibility? What about self sacrifice for a greater good? These young people (especially ones like the boys in these photos) have never wanted for a single thing in their whole lives. The mother of one of them actually complained to me last month about how their "last family vacation (to Rome) before her son leaves for college" had been ruined. These kids are steeped in privilege. Their grandfathers and great grandfathers were called to war; these boys are being called to the sofa, and they act as if that's a hardship.

I know I'm not a parent, but if I was, I would try my hardest to impress on my kids that sometimes we must sacrifice our selfish wants for a higher purpose. Life isn't fair, and if the most they're ever called upon to do is miss out on some parties and celebrations, then they will have been among the most blessed people on the face of this earth. That they have a responsibility to their fellow humans, especially those who have less than them. And that it's unseemly in the extreme for newly grown up men and women to whine and complain while some essential workers in their community are risking their lives to mitigate this crisis.

Thoughts?

20 comments:

  1. Amen!
    I have heard so much about kids missing final exams, prom, hockey games, basketball etc. In the scheme of things it's nothing.
    My son postponed his wedding without a word of complaint and that's as it should be.
    Gosh I'm so sorry about the trip to Rome.NOT.
    I'm fed up to the back teeth with the whining , entitled, middle classes and guess where Sydney's hot spots are? All the well off white areas.

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  2. Don't any of these boys have grandparents? That they supposedly love? How about thinking about how much they're endangering that generation?
    And don't get me started on these parents. To be so clueless as to broadcast these kids' activities is mind-boggling.

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  3. FUCK THOSE ENTITLED LITTLE PRICKS AND THEIR "PARENTS"!

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  4. Couldn't have said it better myself. Now the boys- well, at that age they are hardwired to ignore threats to go out and kill the wooly mammoth, the saber toothed tiger but they also have brains that can think through things. And their parents? Pretty sick.

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  5. Call me melodramatic but these ‘entitled’ offspring are in for the biggest shock of their pathetic lives. You don’t have to be a financial genius to know the world is heading for the biggest recession.

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  6. Oh dear...
    Even my running buddy's little daughter accepts she can not have a party with other children for her fourth birthday next week. My friend told me she did not shed a tear when they explained things to her. She said "We'll have a party after corona", and I have already prepared a little something so that my friend can give it to her on the day.

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  7. I hope the newspaper this moronic mother gets flooded with complaints. This just burns me up. Excellent post Jennifer.

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  8. Well said. I'm sure some of the kids at the school where I work are up to the same sorts of things (maybe not QUITE as flagrant) but fortunately I'm not privy to their social media accounts! Even some of the young adults in London have been dismissive of this crisis, going out to parties with friends and gathering in groups in the parks. I read about a man who had a bad acid trip at a house party with 100 other people in attendance (!) and called out ambulance workers to help him. Unbelievable!

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  9. I said not to look to me for comments and sympathy if people get this or worst...if they can not follow the rules. I wonder sometimes if a high force, be whatever, has thought, these idiots never learn a thing, or learn from history.

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  10. Hundreds of people are dying and they are upset about missing graduation. Ten years from now they will still miss grandma but they will not give an F about graduation.

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  11. We are allowed to go out for exercise once a day alone or with others from our household. On my walks I have seen many groups of young lads out cycling together or sitting in a field smoking weed. Yes some groups could be house mates but many look too young. I try to give the benefit of the doubt but really mainly it is people flouting the rules. I am changing my routes to more out of the way places now.

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  12. I agree completely with all you have said here. I have a grandson that is due to graduate high school this year and will not be having a graduation or any other celebration due to the virus. He is in isolation with his parents at home and while I'm sure he does not like it, he does understand that it is necessary. I have not heard one complaint from him about missing graduation. I'm sure this is hard on the younger people but I believe the parents are responsible for making sure their older children understand and follow the guidelines.

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  13. I have three grandchildren graduating some school this spring, and they seem rather relieved to have escaped the festivities, at least with the old folks.

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  14. I'd say you have it covered, Jennifer, and we are in agreement. I guess if some of those boys get sick, then they'll learn a lesson, or maybe not. I don't wish that on anyone, but people who are that stupid--and entitled--set themselves up. If my oxymorons were back in high school and had to miss some stuff, I'd tell them, That's life, and it really is life because I don't want you to be in a group and end up sick or maybe even die.

    Love,
    Janie

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  15. The bottom line is everyone is at risk ! not just elderly or health compromised.
    Anyone can catch it and be spreading it unknowingly before symptoms, would they really like to be responsible for the death of a young Mum or ending the life of a loved grandparent.
    The reality is children, young people and scared old people can be taken away alone, suffer alone and sometimes die alone.... pretty traumatic guilt to have for the rest of your life.
    Official notifications should make this very clear.

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  16. In every plague there are people (many?) who take one of two approaches: the "It won't happen to me" (denial) or the 'screw it might as well have fun as we are going to die". Sounds like these folks do both with a little right-sided politics added.

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  17. We're having beautiful weather here at the moment, but I don't think we'll open the pool for another two months yet. I would love to swim again, but it'd only be the two of us!

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  18. Well said Jennifer! I notice that South Carolina has been one of the slowest states in the union to "get" what the coronavirus means to us all.

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  19. I say let them go. Let them infect themselves. And when they're suffering, tell them to ask their president for help.

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