Why Have People Become So Impatient and Entitled?

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by klmrocks

Exactly. Very few people complain just for the sake of complaining and being difficult. If they are upset and acting like that it is likely for a reason.

I too disagree. In my experience many people like to bring their upsets with them. Running late and frustrated because of traffic, boss gave you a hard time at work, argument with a loved one, well just take it out on the next person you interact with in a situation that causes you even the least bit of dissatisfaction, whether they are responsible for it or not. I've been on the receiving end and also done it after a particularly bad day. Sometimes people come back and apologize for snapping, usually not.

[swgirl926]

I didn't read through every single page of the thread but here are my thoughts:

There is a large minority of people that are rude and entitled because of some personality disorder, or because they were babied and never told "no" when they were younger and therefore have a low frustration tolerance. But for most people, I think that the impatience has to do with people feeling more like rats in a cage due to crowding, road congestion, increased demands from other people and circumstances, etc. Plus, for some reason, our society frowns on self-care, which I will ask about in another post. So it is not surprising to me that people either self-medicate, take their stuff out on the others around them, or both.

[TC2coolmom]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

The "parenting philosophy" that floors me is the one where kids grow up from a small age addressing their parents by their first names and bossing them around. And the parents scurry to meet every demand, on cue. It's painful to watch. I've seen Boomers do this; I don't know if any Gen X-ers have followed that, as well. Maybe this is who the OP is up against? People who were those kids, barking orders at their parents, who fulfilled every command instantly? *shudder*

My brother has always allowed his only child a girl, to call him by his name and her mom by her's. None of the grandparents were ever respected or addressed respectfully, so everyone in the family including me, pulled away and she grew up alone and sad, no one wanted to be around my brother and his family, they were in the military and it made a good excuse to stay away. My brother was never good to our mother either so his daughter will not be a good daughter to him when she moves away.

[addakisson]

People don't like to wait. I think that's a basic fact of life.

I don't think Bert Parks ever asked a future Miss America; "So, Miss Illinois, what are your hobbies?" and she replied "Well, Bert...I LIKE TO WAIT!" Anybody out there remember Bert Parks singing "There she is, Miss America..."

Back on topic. I think it's a combination of many things, including:

The ability to fast forward thru tv shows, microwaves heating your leftovers in minutes, computers giving us information instead of having to go to the library and looking things up, services now being delivered to our homes with the option of one day delivery. Etc, Etc,Etc. Progress has made us used to getting things conveniently and faster.

But, commercialization has also told us and our children how we NEED to buy their product because we "deserve" it. We "deserve" to be treated "special", to be spoiled.

Many people have become unaccustomed to having to wait, therefore they become impatient when it happens and more and more often get upset when they don't get that instant gratification.

It's also that many corporations have decided to understaff in order to make more profit.

It's also that according to the latest stats, the "average person" looks at their cell phones 74 a day. Some people actually have panic attacks if they have to do without their smart phones for a day.

I have heard working parents panic "OMG, how will my child get a hold of me when they are at school?" What do they think we did when there were no cell phones? It's not like we abandoned children to the wolves, if they needed to use the phone, they went to the school office.

And lastly, I don't think manners are being used as much as they used to. By young and old alike.

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by addakisson

It's also that according to the latest stats, the "average person" looks at their cell phones 74 a day. Some people actually have panic attacks if they have to do without their smart phones for a day.

Reference? How would they even determine this? Nobody I know counts how many times they look at their phone. And does looking at it mean turning it on and actually doing something or just glancing at the lock screen to check the time? How many times a day did people use to look at their wristwatch?

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by oceangaia

Reference? How would they even determine this? Nobody I know counts how many times they look at their phone. And does looking at it mean turning it on and actually doing something or just glancing at the lock screen to check the time? How many times a day did people use to look at their wristwatch?

I agree. Looking at your phone doesn't mean you're twittering or on Facebook or texting, in any case. I look at my phone a lot because it is my plan book, it has my appointments and reminders and To Do lists, and notes I make about things I want to try with one of my patient's at work (I'm an OT). I use the stopwatch to time how long a patient can stand, and the timer so I know when he's been on the arm bike long enough.

There is an assumption somehow that if you're looking at your phone, you must by definition be engaged in some kind of self-absorbed, ego-based activity, but phones are much more than that now.