Entitlement. This is a buzz word, or rather, a word that’s used with frequency as of late. When I hear this word, an image appears in my mind of someone who is ignorant to the experiences and desires of others that aren’t like him or her and (consciously or unconsciously) believes they deserve every advantage over others.

So, I was curious today and decided to look up the meaning of “entitlement”, which led me to the definition of its root word, “entitle”.

And that’s where a switch flipped. Here’s the definition of “entitle”:

transitive verb

- to give a title to

- to furnish with proper grounds for seeking or claiming something

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entitled

Ok, this may not be fascinating to you, but the definition of this root word struck me as really subtle and intriguing. For one, it’s a transitive verb, meaning something is transferred from the Subject to the Direct Object of the action. There’s an exchange that takes place: one person gives another person the claim or right to something. 

The word originates from times where a title to an asset would exchange hands. For example, if I were have to sold my house to another person, I would entitle them to the house and have claim to the house they purchased.

So, when I saw this definition, something clicked in my mind - something that I didn’t expect to think about.

The people we describe as “entitled” in today’s culture are really exactly the opposite - they have not been given a title directly from someone for the privileges to which they have access. They have not been furnished “with proper grounds for seeking or claiming something”. They simply claim these privileges as their own.

This is not to say that some people don’t have rights to certain assets such as land, homes, vehicles, etc. The type of “entitlement” I’m referring to here is that which has been referenced many times over in the media: scenarios that have perpetuated selfish, greedy and bullying behavior.

Using the word entitled to describe the type of person I described above is a disservice: the picture that we’re trying to describe is something else entirely. Rights have not been bestowed on those that are acting this way. These rights have been fantasized; they have been bullied into a certain population’s hands without authority.

Instead of using entitled to describe individuals that perpetuate inequality and abuse of power, shouldn’t we use words that accurately describe the situation? 

Delusional? 

Usurpers?