Entitlement In Ron Alstop's Essay 'Trophy Kids'

Entitlement in America Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness are basic rights. Most Americans often forget the pursuit part and replace it with guarantee. In the essay “Trophy Kids” by Ron Alstop the author writes about the entitlement of the millennial generation. Americans do feel entitled. First, Americans are entitled because they have an attitude of changing situations to best fit them. Second, Americans are also entitled because they do not feel like they should have to make tradeoffs. Lastly, Americans are entitled because they disobey rules that seem common-sense unless the rule is clearly stated.

Often Americans have a feeling that situations should be changed to accommodate themselves. This feeling could changing a work schedule to fit

In the essay Alstop says “Managers will need to give step-by-step directions for handling everything from projects to voice-mail messages to client meetings. It may seem obvious that employees should show up on time, limit lunchtime to an hour and turn off cellphones during meetings. But those basics aren't necessarily apparent to many millennials.” This quote sums up an example of American entitlement. Americans often feel if that if something isn’t explicitly stated then it doesn’t apply. In my experience at Augusta Tech most teacher’s syllabi often have a section about cellphone use. Usually saying that students should have phones silent in class and answer any emergency calls outside of the class. The fact that this has to be put in writing speaks to American entitlement because it should be common sense not to disturb a class with a phone. But Americans expect to be treated like children and have everything clearly stated Or else they will behave as though it’s not common knowledge. Americans feel that they are entitled to have everything spelled out clearly for them and to not have to use common