I’ve been hesitant to post this entry about whiners since it’s probably going to make people mad, but I believe it’s an epidemic in our nation today. Although there are some whiners on the Right, whining seems to be a staple of the Left (I think they have classes for it) and it has become a large part of their methodology and tactics. Leftist politicians are acutely aware of this and exploit it for political gain.Two events in recent news caught my attention and I was astounded at what most people thought about them.
First up is the crying boy at a Texas Rangers baseball game. If you’re not familiar with this, the Rangers first baseman tossed a foul ball into the stands for fans. A couple scooped up the ball and kept it, seemingly oblivious to the crying boy next to them who also wanted the ball.
Should the couple have give the ball to the boy? It would have been a nice gesture, but I don’t fault them for keeping it. They had just as much right to it as the boy and I don’t believe the boy’s age entitled him to the ball and his whining certainly didn’t. But, the Internet went crazy with people calling the couple the worst people in the world and the radio announcer for the game vilified them on the air for not handing the ball over to the crying boy.
Someone in the nearby Rangers dugout saw the boy’s crying, tossed him a ball and he later got a Rangers shirt. Lesson learned: When you think life is unfair, crying and whining gets you what you want.
Next up is Jerry Meekins vs. Spirit Airlines. Meekins is the Internet-labeled ‘dying veteran’ who purchased a $197 airline ticket from Spirit to visit his daughter. When he found out he was terminal his doctor advised him not to fly, so he requested a refund from Spirit. They declined his request, noting Meekins did not purchase their low-cost travel insurance that covers a variety of unexpected circumstances and added, “It wouldn’t be fair to bend the policy for one and not for all.”
Once again, the Internet went crazy with people calling Spirit Airlines heartless and every dirty name in the book, decrying their treatment of a dying veteran. There’s even a Facebook page attempting to organize a boycott of Spirit Airlines.
Should Spirit have refunded the $197 to Meekins? I would say no and his response to their refusal just makes me say that more firmly. Did he decline to purchase the flight insurance? Yes. Was he aware of the no refunds policy when purchasing the ticket? Yes. Case closed. The fact that he is dying is unfortunate. People die. The fact that he is a veteran is commendable, but it has absolutely nothing to do with this situation. I happen to think people are heroes just for putting on the uniform. But, in Meekins’ case, he is attempting to use his veteran status as a tool for sympathy. And it’s working. Every news article I read that carried a picture of Meekins showed him wearing his VFW cap. He and some VFW colleagues picketed the airport in Tampa, all wearing their caps. Using your veteran status as a tool for public sympathy cheapens the veteran status and is despicable.
Meekins has a plethora of supporters who decry the ‘evil’ Spirit Airlines’ treatment of this poor, dying veteran. He may be a poor, dying veteran, but he is also an arrogant man who thinks his impending death (which we all will face at some point) and veteran status (irrelevant here) entitle him to royal treatment that everyone else doesn’t get.
These two events would have no meaning had it not been for the public reaction to them. Give them what they want! Stop being mean! Waaaaahhhhhhh!!!
These events have highlighted for me a huge flaw in our society: a sense of entitlement. People want what they want, they want it now, and don’t expect to have to abide by the rules or play fair with others to get it. This brings me back to the Left and how their politicians operate. With the majority of their political constituency whining about more benefits for this, more money for that, the Democrats know that all they have to do to buy their loyalty at the voting booth is to give them what they want. More welfare; more unemployment; more free health care; more tax breaks for people who don’t pay taxes (which gives them a bigger ‘refund’); more subsidized housing; free cell phone programs… the list could go on for page after page.
People who live off these giveaways, which are funded by the rest of us, will never learn personal responsibility or have appreciation for anything they have since they didn’t earn it. Too many people in this country don’t understand what it means to work for what they want. What it means to take responsibility for their actions and decisions (pay attention, Jerry Meekins). What it means to move on and try to improve yourself when you think you’ve been treated unfairly, instead of whining and crying about it and seeking sympathy from like-minded whiners.
The Democrats have exploited whiners for years and will continue to do so, using money from the wallets and purses of the rest of us to purchase their reelections. Unfortunately, the Republicans in recent years have noticed the payoffs for votes and have started to court the whiners as well, just not on the scale that the Democrats have perfected. With the Left living off the support of the whiners and the Right seeing that maybe the game is better on the other side of the playground, where does that leave the rest of us? Footing the bill for the whiners. Pay up, suckers.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am glad you posted this. It is an issue that needs to be discussed.
The sense of entitlement is one of the biggest reasons we are in such an economic hole in this country. It leads directly to a federal government that plays to that sense of entitlement and wants to be everything to everyone.
Couple that with this administration’s belief that those who are less fortunate are entitled to the profits of those who have been successful, well you can see where I am going there.
It leads to disaster for our country and we are well on our way.
And, unfortunately, I don’t see any way of reversing the disaster we are moving toward. How long before 60%, then 70% of the country pay no taxes, and the rest of us are soaked even more to pay for it. All the whiners screaming for more benefits will keep electing politicians who give it to them, like spoiled children who throw a tantrum until they get their way.