Issues of Entitlement

By admin

Are you a generally happy person? Thankful for all your blessings and appreciative of the good things you get to experience in life? Or are you an often-angry person, mad that others have more than you and not happy about the way the world works? If it’s the latter, I have a question for you: Just who the heck do you think you are? Why is it you think you deserve anything? The truth is you are darn lucky to have what you have, and that you aren’t starving in some third-world country somewhere.

The attitude that others shouldn’t have more than you, that it’s just not fair, is usually held by those who are not willing to do the work that those who have more do in order to get it. Welfare recipients think their welfare checks should be high enough that they get to drive an SUV and vacation in Europe too, just like their neighbor the workaholic who started a successful business in his spare time. What they don’t seem to understand is that the neighbor who busts his butt to get slightly ahead in life is also busting his butt to pay for that welfare check of his lazy neighbor.

It doesn’t matter to them. They hold a different world view than rational thinking people. Joe the plumber might save enough to finally purchase the company he works for through decades of hard work and wise financial planning. But angry-lazy people who hate society, work as little as possible, blow every cent they make on immediate pleasures, and spend all their spare time watching TV think Joe the plumber owes them something. He’s doing fine. But the angry-lazy people think that his “wealth” should be shared with everyone who didn’t work hard and didn’t bother saving any money.

There is a term used to describe the society which the lazy angry people envision. It’s called socialism. In a socialist society nobody has anything more than anybody else. The government takes most, or even all of, the money you earn and provides for all your needs. There is nothing to be jealous of because everybody has it the same way. Of course, nobody works hard to get ahead because there is no reward for it. So everybody has a very poor standard of living.

You know what? That suits the socialists just fine. They don’t necessarily want nice things for themselves. They just don’t want anybody else to be able to get nice things for themselves either. They want to drag everyone down to their pathetic level.

This dangerous attitude usually starts at a young age. It begins with - you guessed it - bad parenting. Not being able to say no to your child and refusing to discipline them raises them in a frame of mind which makes them think they were born kings or something, and that the world should be rushing to meet their every whim. This carries over into adulthood and causes problems.

If your child throws temper tantrums when they don’t get their way and you allow this, you are dangerously spoiling your kids. Spoiled kids grow up with issues of entitlement . They don’t understand how fortunate they are just to be healthy and living in a wealthy society. They think they deserve it all. What a misconception that is.

I have news for you: You aren’t entitled to anything by virtue of your existence. Nobody is. You might go to prison tomorrow, or come down with a terminal disease. Everything you have might be gone in an instant. There is no security in this life. If you are angry about other people having it better than you, then you need to seriously get over it. If you want more than you have put your nose to the grindstone and do something about it.

The recent election has resulted in our government being dominated by a political party who holds socialist views. That is an obvious fact, even to somebody like me who isn’t into politics. You can expect a flurry of socialist policies to materialize in the coming years. Those who work hard to get ahead will have an ever-growing percentage of the fruits of their labor confiscated and given to angry-lazy people who think they shouldn’t have to work hard to get the same rewards.

Now don’t get me wrong. Papa Riah is not a defender our current society. In fact I find much of it quite stupid, thus the existence of this blog. However socialism is clearly moving backwards. It’s been tried before and has always failed miserably. It results in violent revolutions and therefore must be instilled by military force upon the residents of it’s own country. But when people with issues of entitlement get control of world governments, as is apparently happening before our eyes, that nightmare becomes a very real threat.

Papa Riah

Technorati Tags: Socialism, Society, Parenting

Driving Tips for Asians

By admin

Ever wonder if there is a special DMV for Asians? I mean, some of the stuff you see them pull off just isn’t going to get you past the driving test unless the DMV test administrator is also Asian. (Hmmmmmm - maybe that’s how they do it.) Whether they have a license or not, most Asians could use a few driving tips. Being the humanitarian that I am, this post is dedicated to helping that cause. It’s for them, it’s for you, and it’s for me. If we can just get the Asians on board with the rest of us, the roads will become a much less hazardous place. And that’s good for all of us.

First off, I do want to mention that Papa Riah has many wonderful Asian friends. However none of them can drive worth a grain of rice. I often wonder if it’s the angled eyes. (If ”angled” is now considered a derogatory term I apologize - please substitute another adjective to describe how Asian’s eyes look different from non-Asian’s.) Seriously - squint your eyes and look around. Do you think that would help or hinder in the driving process?

But there also seems to be something in the decision making process that just shuts down when they are on the road controlling a 4-wheel internal-combustion powered vehicle. I mean, they can ride a bicycle like nobody’s business. They can engineer fantastic solutions to insanely complicated technical problems. Let’s face it, most of them are wicked smart. But throw a simple problem at them like the donut shop is in the strip mall you just passed on the left and all their mental faculties just freeze up - along with their car.

Where I live there are a couple of Asian communities nearby. As you drive into these areas you know to slow down and be really careful. Vehicular obstacles are to be expected. Sudden unexpected moves anywhere from any car are something you need to factor into the possibilities when simply passing by another car in an adjacent lane - even going the opposite way. Things are not normal there.

With that in mind, here are some driving tips for our eastern friends.

• When there is only one of you and 100 of everybody else, it really is easier if you blend into what the 100 other people are doing as opposed to all of them stopping and conforming to what you are doing.

• From Webster:

merge

Verb

[merging, merged]

1. to combine, esp. so as to become part of a larger whole: the two airlines merged in 1983

2. to blend gradually, without any sudden change being apparent: late afternoon merged imperceptibly into early evening [Latin mergere to plunge]

• Try to remember that you are not alone on the road - there are other people driving all around you at all times. This is critical to understand.

• If you suddenly realize that the place you need to be is over there, the best course of action is not always to stop in the middle of moving traffic and attempt to make a direct B-line to that place you need to be. There might actually be objects in the way, not the least of which is opposing traffic.

• The rear view mirror shows you other cars that are driving behind you, at the same speed (that’s a safe bet). This is actually very helpful. You should get into the habit of looking into it to see what is happening behind you once in a while.

• The reason your side windows are made of clear glass is so you can see what is going on beside you on either side. Try looking through them some time - it’s really pretty cool.

• Those numbers on the speedometer - the reason they go so much higher than just the first few is that your car actually goes faster. Really.

Papa Riah

Technorati Tags: Asian drivers, Humor, Driving

How to Survive Visiting Boston

By admin

Boston is a very historic American city. Every year millions of tourists, some from international locations, visit this famous venue. Unfortunately, some of them end up getting more than they bargained for. If visits to the emergency room are not part of your itinerary while visiting the east coast, then you should plan accordingly. You can’t just walk around Boston (like you can everywhere else in the world) and expect to be treated with common courtesy. As a matter of fact, mingling with the natives puts you in serious danger of physical harm here.

It probably sounds like I am exaggerating. I mean, Boston is a popular tourist destination. You got the Maine lobster, the clam chowder, the green monster, and all that American Revolution history. If it were dangerous, certainly you would know about it by now. Right?

Not necessarily. Boston is actually a dangerous place for normal human beings. Why haven’t you been warned about this? Perhaps it’s because those of us who have experienced first-hand just how dangerous of a place it really is are a bit embarrassed to admit it. Getting punched in the face is not something you normally brag about when recounting your vacation details to your friends. But that is exactly what is going to happen if you visit Boston and attempt to mingle with the locals.

You see, Boston is populated by people of Irish decent. This particular heritage involves a lot of foolish pride. Most of that pride can only be validated by fighting. Irish folk love to fist-fight, and that stereotype is not exaggerated when you see television shows full of Irish folk beating each other half to death. The doctors in Boston love it.

If you avoid the locals when in Boston you will probably be OK. This means going directly to your hotel room after dinner. Do not stay out late. Do not engage local residents in any kind of conversation whatsoever. If you do, they will see it as a wonderful opportunity to put a fist into your mouth, removing a few important teeth in the process. Don’t think this can’t happen. Boston residents are just looking for the opportunity to do that to you.

If you do decide to risk visiting a sports bar, act like a Red Sox fan. Try to dress like one as well. If somebody asks you if you like the Yankees, be ready to profess your internal burning hate for that organization. If you are not believable, you risk a very dangerous physical assault.

The final tip I want to give you has to do with driving in Boston. Merging doesn’t work here like it does in other places. The first people to clue you in on this will be the nice folks at the rent-a-car counter. They will tell you to basically commit to wrecking their car, otherwise you will never be able to merge into another lane. The drivers in this city can smell fear, and courtesy is not in their vocabulary. You have to stick you nose in between the two cars and force your way in. That’s the only way they will think you are a local and allow you to merge.

If you must visit this city, please take my above advice seriously.

Papa Riah

Technorati Tags: Boston, Travel