Entitlement and the Decline of America

Entitlement is to blame for the rapid decline of the Great US of A. Entitled people expect and demand privileges. The have a delusional belief that they are superior to others. They enjoy manipulation and controlling people and situations. We are a nation where narcissism extends far beyond the DSM and into the core of our infrastructure. What happened to reciprocity? The Golden Rule? If you come to my aid I will repay you in some way or at a minimum I will thank you over and over. With entitlement there is demise of reciprocity. There is no sense of repayment, rather entitled people simply expect others to meet their needs. In health care, it is evident that entitlement and narcissism control the system.

"I am very busy. I am in the emergency department because I am very sick. I demand to be treated immediately. And I expect the Cadillac of all work-ups. Yes, I want a stat MRI of my back. Yes, my pain has been present for 2 years, that's why I must have a stat MRI. You won't order an MRI? I need to speak to the hospital manager. The hospital president. I will call my lawyer. I will absolutely not wait overnight for the MRI. I am leaving. You will be sorry."

This is not a far-fetched situation. It happens every day. In health care alone, Americans are demanding more and more. The health care industry enables this behavior. Heaven forbid a patient leave unhappy. Enter in the customer service push in emergency medicine. You wonder why the use of percocet and other opioid pain killers has increased exponentially over the past 10 years. Everyone wants them and providers dare not say no, because management will be notified that the patient is not adequately being treated. It's a losing battle. We have developed a system that cannot sustain itself, which is obvious.

There are so many social realms in which entitlement has taken the throne. It is all the same. Without reciprocity our society will crumble. We will lose.