It's Not A Dirty Word

Volunteers from the UUCC serving a meal at the Uptown Men's Shelter.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language, the first meaning given for “entitlement” is getting an actual title as in a profession or noble designation. The second definition derives from the first in that a person with a specific designation is “entitled” to being addressed a certain way and receives the rights and privileges that come with that designation.  There are many forms of entitlements such as a homeowner being entitled to the legal rights of his home.  A bank customer is entitled access to his/her money. A customer of an insurance company is entitled to the protection for which they have paid premiums. An infant is entitled to be fed and cared for. A veteran is entitled to our appreciation and support. Workers are entitled to their agreed upon wage. The list is endless.

The word entitlement is in the news a lot today and has developed a negative connotation. The word has been paired with government programs that help citizens.  There are two types of entitlements. One type is need based and the other is contribution based. “Entitlements” are looked at as a “dirty” word by those who believe that “entitlements” are government expenses that give support to “lazy bums” who have not paid into the program at the expense of their hard work. Typically, however, a person’s lack of contribution is not voluntary but is the result of some condition of their life that makes financial contributions impossible.  Many of us regard those individuals as “entitled” to our help because they are our fellow human beings. They are in need and unable to assist themselves. Thomas Jefferson said that we are endowed with the inalienable rights of (entitled to and cannot be taken away) “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These words express the entitlement of every human being regardless of who they are or where they may be. Entitlement and human rights are at the very foundation of our nation. “Entitlement” is not a “dirty” word. Each of us was born into this world and were entitled to be cared for without contributing a single thing. We were needy and dependent on our mothers and families. We may grow and become more independent but we are still interdependent in our need for others.

Most entitlement programs are contribution based and the great majority of people contribute whether they are citizens or not. There are not large numbers of people saying, “If the government is going to take care of me, I will just live in these “slummy” conditions and let them take care of me. I don’t want a car or nice house with plenty of food and comforts. I like worrying every day about how I am going to eat.”   But if you listen to a certain segment of our misinformed population, you would think that multitudes of people felt that way and chose to live in poverty. They say people just don’t want to work; we are making it so easy on the poor that we are becoming an “entitlement society.”  They have twisted their thinking into the idea that we should just take everything away from the poor and make them repent of their slothful ways. Those who hold that point of view are certainly “entitled” to their opinion, but those people are doing a grave injustice to the principles upon which this nation was founded, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Are there changes that need to be made in the system? Of course, there are. There are institutional forces that have stifled people that may have otherwise blossomed. The system itself has oppressed them. Then we have all the “isms” to deal with- racism-sexism etc.  We must continue to work for Voting Rights, Equal Pay for Equal Work, Health Care Justice, Immigration Reform, Gender Equality, and equality for our LGBT community, etc. We must address the income inequality in this country and raise the minimum wage. We need to promote policies that help all children advance and discourage efforts to further concentrate wealth at the top. We must level the playing field so that all people have the opportunity to be successful.  We need more creative ways to break the cycle of poverty and lift people up.  But, I will never believe that concentrating the wealth at one end of the spectrum while taking away life support systems from others, will ever have any chance of lifting anyone up, nor will this country benefit in any way for doing so.