by Evangeline Paine
A few examples- A mother sues Chuck E. Cheese saying the games in the popular children’s pizza chain encourages gambling. Another eye roll worthy case is the convicted criminal that sued his kidnap victims for not assisting him in evading the police. Would you think to sue a preschool over your child’s private school’s prospects? One woman in Manhattan surely did. I could do an almost endless list of this type of “something for nothing” lawsuits.
It’s a sad reflection on how we solve problems today. We don’t. “You have what I want, so you should give it to me. It’s only fair.”
Parents are, or should be, the first and foremost teachers for our children. The hardest lesson as a mother I ever had to learn was to let my son- fail, when he was learning to walk, to let him wobble until his own balance held him. To let him correct his own mistakes. He learned cause and effect, such as you spill it, you clean it. Or conversely, you clean it, you get your allowance. He learned responsibility. I wanted to protect him from the world, which would have ruined him for the world. Bubble wrapping is good for fragile objects, because they are and will remain fragile. Bubble wrapped babies are perfect bully bait; don’t do that to your children.
So now our tykes are ready to start in school, play in sports join in clubs. How ready are they for competition? Oh, I don’t mean organized competition- that’s been purged from our society for kids. I meant between the children themselves. Even if “The Rules” established by parents don’t allow keeping score, make no mistake, the kids still do.
Adults can try to remove the stigma of “loser” and try to teach they all win, but it doesn’t work between the kids themselves. They set up their own rules. And if little Susie or Johnny has never experienced disappointment, this will be a very rude and rough awakening.
We’ve dumbed down rules, handing everyone a cute little trophy or prize for just participating, and taught competing is wrong so much that our children look for new ways to feel like they can win. Add that to the philosophy of no consequences being taught, no boundaries, of not being told “no”, why are we so shocked at how brutal children can be towards one another?
And as these same children grow older, will they be handed more “you’re a special snowflake” awards? Yes, they will. Its only fair.
These children as adults continue looking for their “fair share”. And why not? It’s been a mantra repeated to them for most of their lives. What a shock it must be when these now adults hit the work force and are no longer petted and coddled. That paycheck isn’t a trophy. And learning what the word “earn” means at this point is rather rough. Oh, but wait! Is it? Why no it isn’t.
Welcome to the “I’ll sue” generation. That’s right- employers more and more are being sued for all sorts of frivolous excuses because, simply- a paycheck is not a participation certificate. And neither should a settlement award, but some of these cases win. And so the trend continues onward.
Our now adults, angry at how unfair life is decide they want “change”. Things need to be more equitable, across the board. Lift the poor up, you see- the rich can afford to “give just a little more”, because the poor can’t do for themselves. They can’t help it.
The odds have been stacked against them. Pick the excuse of your choice, it all amounts to the same tired canard:
“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs”- Karl Marx.
Or simplified:
“I think when you spread the wealth around its good for everybody.” – Barack Obama.
How shocked were many of us in 2009 when President Barack Obama, newly elected, had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? Alfred Nobel in 1895 stated in his will that the prize should be given “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.”
By that standard, did Mr. Obama meet the criteria set forth by Alfred Nobel? Many disagree.
In February, 1, 2012 a Norwegian peace researcher called for an investigation into the jury of the Peace Prize. If the evidence is found creditable, the Stockholm County Administrative Board, which supervises foundations in Sweden, could possibly suspend award decisions going back three years.
So, could this be a case of awarding a prize for simply…participating? And the brow raising Transparency Award he “won” March, 2011. That, he accepted without any reporters present. I’ll restrain myself on too many comments about his two (yes two) Grammys. If you write a book, be sure to read it out loud as well- you too could win an award for…talking.
*Originally posted at ConservativeReport.org on November 20th, 2012
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