Entitlement, Reparation, and Statism

She's the dollars
She's my protection
Yeah, she's the promise
In the year of election
--U2

Entitlement mentality is belief that others owe you. This belief is often rationalized in terms of victimization. Because others have wronged you in the past, they owe you reparation.

Grounds for this thought process are particularly fertile among minority groups. It is easy for minorities to slip into the mindset that majorities have exploited them and therefore should surrender property as compensation.

Entitlement mentality feeds a pathology of resentment that underpins progressive politics and statism.