Dan Kennedy Speaks Out Against the Entitlement Mentality

Dan Kennedy wrote a controversial post about why the idea of entitlement is fundamentally anti-American; it is always, ultimately anti-self, a unique form of self-sabotage; and it is definitely not the philosophy or behavior of successful people.
By: Brian Horn
 
Oct. 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Dan Kennedy wrote a controversial post about why the idea of entitlement is fundamentally anti-American; it is always, ultimately anti-self, a unique form of self-sabotage; and it is definitely not the philosophy or behavior of successful people.

The post can be found on his blog at dankennedy.com/blog.

The post is as follows:

I have a particular philosophy about entitlement vs. initiative.

This has always kept me oriented toward self-help; towards resourcefulness; towards responsibility, thus providing me with an exceptional level of control. (Imperfect, but exceptional.)

I was in an Italian neighborhood recently. An old Cleveland neighborhood originally populated by Italian immigrants, still populated by a lot of first generation Italian immigrants as well as second generation families.

Plus a slight homogenous mix of everything else.

I walked through a Lowe’s store and a Walgreens. Saw no signs in Italian. But Lowes and Walgreen stores in many parts of the country now have signs in Spanish for Mexican immigrants. On the chains’ part, this is obviously smart marketing.

In fact, I’ve often advised similar tactics for ads, mailings, web sites, etc., for direct-response marketing to Hispanics. And I’ll continue doing so. And you’d be smart to consider where this fits in your business.

But from a broader perspective, it troubles me. It’s another sign of America pandering to people rather than demanding personal responsibility of them.

Seems reasonable to say: want to live here? Work here? Go to school here? Earn here? Learn the language.

My friend and speaking colleague, Nido Qubein, a past president of the National Speakers Association, immigrated here (legally) unable to speak a word of English. He went to college, worked to put himself through college, became a top professional speaker, is Chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company, a chain of franchised bakeries, and even Dean of High Point University in North Carolina. He learned the language.

Consider this a metaphor for the behaviors I find most discouraging in so many otherwise smart entrepreneurs. They seek to enter a new or different market, to sell to a particular group of consumers, to compete against the already entrenched without even bothering to “learn the language.”

To prepare. To research. To know. They seek unearned, unwarranted, undeserved success and, bluntly, I don’t like it.

As example, a few weeks back, I sat with a young man who wants to start a newsletter and information business in a particular topic category and market that personally interests him. His reasons for going there (so far) are all because he wants to. And in 3 minutes, I stumped him with my first 3 questions.

He hasn’t even bothered to do SRDS research. To subscribe to the top newsletters in the field, to get on mailing lists. The names of the five major players were unknown to him.

Yet he expects, even seems to feel entitled to success, and easy success at that.

The very idea of entitlement for any reason….because somebody else has what you want, because you happen to be in a geographic place, or born of the lucky sperm club, or have been discriminated against; the idea of entitlement is fundamentally anti-American (re-read the Constitution); it is always, ultimately anti-self, a unique form of self-sabotage; and it is definitely not the philosophy or behavior of successful people, especially successful entrepreneurs.

We now have an army of politicians pandering with the entitlement idea. College as a right i.e. entitlement for all, health care an entitlement for all, forced job security an entitlement for all, good grief pre-kindergarten as entitlement for all.

If you want such things, please move to France, pay 80% taxes, and watch the rioting as the entire society breaks down around you.

It doesn’t work, can’t work, can’t be sustained.

Here, you and your family are entitled to scrimp and save and sacrifice and you are entitled to work in order to go to college. And if simply given to all free of investment or sacrifice, it will cease to have meaning, corporate America will have a worse crop of dullards and emotional infants to hire from than they do already.

I am opposed to entitlement as philosophy or practice, in any and all forms. I am for initiative: deciding what you want and then exercising self-discipline, organization, applied imagination, persistence and effort in order to get it.

Ultimately, money moves only based upon exchange of value. All attempts by individuals or groups to move it around otherwise ultimately fail miserably.

Anyone dissatisfied with the amount of money moving to them should not look to government to somehow rob the richer as Robin Hood or regulate the ratio of CEO pay to janitor pay or any other silly Communist schemes.

They should examine how they can personally increase the value they personally deliver to the marketplace.

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Dan Kennedy is internationally recognized as the 'Millionaire Maker,' helping people in just about every category of business turn their ideas into fortunes. Dan's "No B.S." approach is refreshing amidst a world of small business marketing hype and enriches those who act on his advice.

http://dankennedy.com/blog
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Source:Brian Horn
Email:***@horndogsearch.com Email Verified
Zip:77584
Tags:Healthcare, Entitlement, Entrepreneur
Industry:Business, Government, Society
Location:Pearland - Texas - United States
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