Entitlement

Definition: a right to benefits that is granted esp. by law or contract (as an insurance policy)

This word has been on my mind a lot lately. It all started when I was unfortunate enough to read some hatefilled tweets sent to my oldest son. It continued when I heard what Tiger Woods spoke to the press last Friday about his recent troubles. And more still when I was stupid enough to visit Gateworld.net. I went there innocently excited to read the story they wrote about an interview my friend Curt (Showpatrol) did with Brian last month. Why it took them so long to report on the interview is now obvious to me! Of course I scrolled down to the comments, thinking they would be something different than the nonsense usually found on that site. What I read was again, a group of people voicing their "opinion" about why Stargate Universe is not what they want.
I spoke with the owners of the Gateworld web site. I was encouraged to do so by a mutual friend of mine and theirs. While assuring me the majority of comments come from a minority of readers, they were unable to explain to me why they continued to allow this "minority" to continue to ruin what these two individuals have worked hard to build I will save that thought process for another time.
What I want to say, and remind all of us of is this. Entitlement is a nasty habit. When a person has this mentality, it will suck the life out of any creativity and drive once harbored in the soul. I see this everyday where I live, in the severely Welfare dependent state of Kentucky. There are generations of families that know nothing but how to work the system. Children are on disability right along with the parents and grand parents. Very few work for a living, and honestly, have no desire to do so. They can make more money and have better benefits by living off the federal government. What this entitlement mentality does to these people can be seen in the eyes, which I beliive are the windows to the soul. They have no life, no sparkle and no dreams.
I realize the state of mind about a TV show is very different than these families. But those that are moaning and complaining do not know the difference. They are no more entitled to the talent and creativity of SGU than the beneficiaries of welfare. Of course there are some that are on welfare for very good reasons. It's a leg up, if you will. Just like there are people that just don't like SGU and won't watch it.
Tiger Woods grew up with an amazing talent, obviously. His downfall began when he started to believe his talent entitled him to abuse the trust of his wife and the women he was having affairs with. He mentions entitlement when he spoke last week. He is aware the entitlement mentality eventually sucked the life and dreams out of hs soul. Hopefully, he will get the help he needs to regain his pride.
I know how hard Brian has worked. I know the struggles he overcame every day to survive in New York City monetarily. I know the fears he had and how hard he worked to overcome those fears. He never once, even for a moment, thought Juilliard owed him an education. Never did he say Broadway owes it to me to have me on it's stages. He knew in order to obtain his dream, he would have to work harder than he thought possible just to have the chance at an audition. These are just some of the reason's the reaction's of the minority has hurt and disappointed me.
The cast and crew of SGU all have similar stories. They are all at the top of their game. They are all amazingly talented, but more than that, they earned the opportunity to create. Not one of the people that spend a ridiculous amount of time complaining about what these people do, could ever step into their well earned shoes. The time they spend with the entitlement mentality is sucking the life out of them. Their misery is palable. Their pitiful attempts to explain and "argue" for their position does nothing but confirm the fact they are incabable of ever being successful. Sure, some probably have great jobs. Possibly even well paying jobs. But I am certain they could never act, write, produce or even sweep the floors for SGU.
It is time that we see these people for what they are. Seekers of entitlement. It is time that they be called upon to realize nobody owes them a thing. SGU does not owe them a "Stargate" show. The actors don't owe them to perform as these untrained suckers of dreams want them to perform. These people are NOT fans, I refuse to believe a fan would behave in this manner.
Whew, I feel better already!