Monday, June 15, 2015

Nostalgia, as it applies to people's sense of entitlement

A way long time ago, in the 1970s, there lived a television series called Marcus Welby, M.D.

Played by actor Robert Young, the character was wondrously successful, having planted within it the word "well," which suggests that this guy is more healing than just any scumbag general practitioner. This guy is no quack. He cared a great deal about his patients. And this is where the problem cropped up in the real world.

There was an article in Time magazine explaining how people coast-to-coast were complaining about their general practitioners. People felt that they were entitled to the sort of relationship Dr. Welby's patients had with their general practitioner, and with the nurse, who on the show was played by Helena Verdugo.     The nurses most people got  were played by anyone at all, in a real doctor's office, by a real nurse, with whom patients are not entitled to a personal relationship anymore they are entitled to play golf with  Marcus Welby, Robert Young, or their real general practitioner.

People go see the doctor when they are sick (sick sick.) There is no such thing as being entitled to a personal relationship prescribed by the television.  People generate their senses of entitlement from what they see and hear.  And get riled when bereft of what they now feel they should have had all along.

 Not for nothing, the point in diddling the past is to recognize that  any time at all, such as in the present, the same, similar, or hybrid stupidity may be at work. It is a person's duty in life see the stupid before it creeps up on him or her.  Kill your inner sense of entitlement, and you and everyone else will suffer less interpersonal grief.   Less road rage.  Fewer spouses rushed to the emergency room.  People aren't stock characters you can depend on to tickle your stick.  Most important, for now, don't let the media  make a schmuck out of you.

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