Words can stretch in opposite directions.
“Entitlement” for one, offers an interesting case study – especially during these times of societal acrobatics and shapeshifting moralities. It’s a tale of two breeds: those not getting their due of entitlements and others who feel entitled to more.
A short glance south of the border, we see U.S. President Donald Trump expanding the word’s definition exponentially. Here’s a creative description: ‘Trump is looting the public treasury with the same deluded sense of entitlement as a wayward defund-the-police protester, his eventual capture a certainty with a 70-inch flat screen television and a bag of White House silverware slowing him down.’
Another usage: ‘Why are banks bailed out by public coffers but entitlement programs like Social Security that project insolvency are called a ‘scam’ and need to be eliminated?’
The DOGE shenanigans and the theme of ‘entitlement’ came to my mind the other night during a screening of Evel, a parody of the ‘female heroine genre’ directed by Derek Diorio.
For the second time in a month, a North Bay production (The Great Gatsby) delivered timely connection to major news subjects as Trump partied like it was 1925 at Mar-a-lago.
Actor Morgan Bedard plays the fictional villain, a rich lunatic with an electric vehicle corporation and a thick streak of entitlement.
The film was both comically and depressingly prescience in several ways, including the duality of an AI character (voiced by Chris Farquhar) that lead actress Athena Park depends on for her very life. The darkest vein in the script, however, is found in the parallels of a soul-less executive recruiting young women to feed an evil man’s parasitic desires.
Good thing it’s a fictional film and not a mirror to America’s current chaotic oligarchy. The screening capped the first day of the 10th annual North Bay Film Fest at the Capitol Centre.
Here’s the director’s description of the film used for an application to the Toronto International Film Fest (not accepted, unfortunately):
“When we set out to make this film a year ago we had no idea that it would intersect with the reality of what’s going on in America today. On the surface this film is a fun romp/thriller masterfully driven (pun intended) by Athena Park, who is in every scene of the film – but the themes of abuse of power, disregard for human suffering and unbridled use of AI – elevate the film from a run of the mill popcorn movie to something more. The movie is at once a satire, a social commentary and a comedy. It deals with the entitlement that Billionaires feel at every turn – and shows that they’re unimaginative, cruel and hold their own mediocrity in high regard.”
Director’s Note:
“Roger Corman always said that one of the five things you should do in your films is include a personal statement. The personal statement in this case starts with the premise that rich people as a rule think that they’re rich because they’re smart. When I was younger, I had many a run-in and meetings with ultra-rich and powerful people – and came to realize that intelligence wasn’t the reason they were wealthy – Usually it was family money, unique opportunity and often just plain luck. Our billionaire in EVEL, Everett Lom, is an amalgam of every entitled billionaire in the world today – those that have the notion that they are smarter than anyone in the room and are descended from the pharaoh’s and can rule above the masses and are above governments and states – and that they act with impunity in any regard. Their hubris has them believing that they are modern gods.”
For more examples of entitlement, in Ontario, we can look at the skills training slush fund fiasco.
Closer to home in North Bay, I’m having trouble choosing from a deep pool of entitlement examples.
noun
noun: entitlement; plural noun: entitlements
- the amount to which a person has a right: “annual leave entitlement”
- the fact of having a right to something: “Taxpayers are entitled to transparency when it comes to public expenditures.”
Similar: right, prerogative, privilege
- the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment: “no wonder your kids have a sense of entitlement”
An “entitled person” is an individual who believes they deserve special treatment or privileges without having earned them. This stems from a sense of deservingness and superiority, leading them to expect things from others without reciprocation. They often disregard rules and the needs of others, and may become angry or frustrated when their expectations are not met.
Key characteristics:
They feel the world owes them something, and they are owed special treatment or certain benefits simply because of who they are.
They tend to focus on their own needs and goals, often to the exclusion of others.
They may show little appreciation for what they have or the efforts others make.
Bottom line? You are entitled to have your own opinion, but nobody is entitled to more than their fair share.
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Writer, photographer and proud father. My mom's family is from the Soo with its Algoma Highlands, dad hailed from Cobden in the Ottawa Valley and I spent my teen years in Capreol. Summers were at the beach on the Vermillion River and winters at 'The Rink.' Born in East York but Toronto never was my thing. Ever since a kid looking out the window on long trips, I imagined living on the highway in a little house with a big yard and trees growing all around me.
