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The “Victim” Mentality

Why do those who knowingly flout the rules try to present themselves as victims when they don’t get their way? It goes hand in hand with entitlement, I think, and I am so over them.

Right now there is a stoush in progress in a Sydney apartment block, where a woman opted to move in with her dog despite the building having a strict “No Pets” rule in place, something which is fairly common in apartment buildings. But the woman moved in anyway and is now fighting for her right to keep her dog.

Now, being an animal-loving type myself, I can’t help but wonder why she would opt for a living space which bans pets? Common sense would  dictate that if you have a pet and you are looking for a place of your own, you would look for one that is pet friendly. That would rule out most apartment blocks. But no, this silly woman moved in with her dog and now is acting put upon because the building management is insisting her dog has to go.

The predicament she has found herself in is all of her own making but that is at the root of the problem with inflated entitlement; these types refuse to accept the rules apply to them too and when they meet an opposing force, they go into shock, and then claim they are being “victimised”.

Well, they aren’t.

This woman reminds me of those who buy into a property in very close proximity to a popular venue, like a pub or club, that has been there far longer than the unit block next door, let alone the new resident who moves in, gets settled and then begins actively complaining about the noise. But complain they do. They want the venue to close, or at least to cut its opening hours and shut down it’s rooftop beer garden (or whatever) because it is disturbing the resident. Really? But if you want peace and quiet you don’t buy a unit next door to a popular pub or club that attracts a lot of patrons and stays open late.  So why do these people buy there?

I remember the carry-on with the prominent Sydney family who decided they didn’t like hearing the noise coming from the iconic harbourside venue, Luna Park, and wanted the council to impose all kinds of noise bans. Like, it’s an amusement park. Because of who they were, they did manage to cause some grief, but it was wrong. Once again, don’t want to hear the general public enjoying themselves? Then don’t opt to live close to an amusement park where you’re bound to hear them enjoying themselves at the top of their lungs!!

But this is the thing; there are people out there who do not accept the rules that apply to the rest of us also apply to them. I don’t know why they feel they are above the various laws, but suspect it has a lot to do with how they were brought up. Waaay too much “positive reinforcement” and never hearing the word “No”. Children brought up in this kind of environment become “entitled” very early  in life and they never grow out of it. But they do grow into petulant adults who cry bullying and victimhood the moment their desires are stymied by an individual or group who informs them that the rules/conditions which apply to everyone else, actually do apply to them. They are not exempt and in this case, if none of the other residents can keep a pet, then neither can the woman who figured the no pet rule didn’t apply to her and her dog. It did, and it was entirely irresponsible of her, as a pet owner, to place her dog in a position where it may have to be re-homed should she lose her legal battle to keep it there. Unless she opts to move to somewhere where she can keep a pet, which is what she should have done in the first place. It’s what the rest of us  would have done.

This woman is not a victim. Overly entitled, yes, but definitely not a victim.

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It’s Not Rocket Science!

I know I’ve talked about this before but people are still not getting it and I am trying to define what it is that people are failing to understand about social distancing, self isolation and staying home when the health authorities says you must.

Is it that they do not understand what a world pandemic is? Is it that they are still of the belief that COVID-19 is “just the flu”?  Or is it entitlement gone off the scale?

We have all been asked to be socially responsible right now in order to stay safe, health-wise, and not contribute to the spread of a very dangerous and highly contagious virus. We have been asked to keep our distance from each other, not congregate in groups, avoid dining out (although grabbing a takeaway is okay), not hang out in cafes and generally not get together in groups outdoors, indoors, or have large gatherings in our own homes and to avoid protests like the…well I was going to say like the plague, which is appropriate I suppose, but anyway…

Maybe it’s because we haven’t experienced something like this in our lifetime, the last biggie being the flu that went global after the First World War and just about all of us here today were not here then. Things like plagues and pandemics tend to happen in countries where much of the population is crowded into  substandard housing, poverty is rife, sanitation is nonexistent, where there is no access to fresh water, starvation rules and there is limited medical care. These countries are a breeding ground for infectious diseases and while those lucky enough to live in first world countries hear about the misfortunes of third world nations, it doesn’t touch them personally.

Until COVID-19. Suddenly the whole world is staring a deadly health threat in the face, yet there are many out there who are still of the misguided belief that it won’t touch them, they won’t catch it, and therefore the government and health directives do not apply to them. We live in a first world country and it just doesn’t happen to us. Except that it has. And because it has, there are a number of preventative measures that have been put in place in an effort to contain the spread.

So why then is it spreading like wildfire?

Because an entitled minority out there are flatly refusing to stay home, to avoid eating out, going to the pub, to stay in their own state, wear a mask, sanitise before entering a shop or business, are lying about their movements or where they have really come from, and ignoring the self-isolation rules if they have come in from overseas, are awaiting test results or have actually tested positive to the virus.

The threat of a large fine doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for these people so I’m hoping the threat of a gaol term is, and I really hope the authorities follow through with that one because these dipsticks are potentially killing people by their stubborn refusal to do the right thing under the current circumstances.

It’s not difficult. Yet it appears to be those in a position to do it in style and comfort are the ones who aren’t. But if you think about it, most of us aren’t really doing it all that hard by doing what we’ve been asked, and those who believe they are should take a closer look at what’s happening in countries a lot less fortunate than ours. True, some people are experiencing financial hardship to varying degrees but government financial assistance is available and going some way toward easing the pressure. Going out for dinner though, or going out daily for takeaway coffee, hanging out with drinks at the local pub, shopping for non essentials or touring the country (and possibly taking the virus with you) is not the way to go if your available funds have plummeted. But if you think you are being badly done by because you can no longer afford the lifestyle to which you have become accustomed and some of the things you’ve always enjoyed doing have been momentarily curtailed, ask yourself this; would you prefer to be in an intensive care unit fighting for your life? Would dying be preferable to cutting back on your usual social activities and/or wearing a mask when asked?

No one has the right to ignore the current preventative measures simply because they’re “inconvenient”. No one has the right to spread the virus via petulant, selfishly entitled behaviour because they stubbornly insist on clinging to their pre-coronavirus lifestyle, no matter what.

No one is exempt.