On Entitlements.

 Some human beings, for whatever reason, carry with them a sense that they are entitled to better privileges and a special treatment when compared to others. These past two weeks alone have filled our news space with more examples than one would care to ponder over. Nevertheless these examples also force us to examine this sense of entitlement that some carry with them and to question whether there is any reason to feed this beast of privilege? From politics to sports and then royalty we saw how a narrative was created that screamed out that the persons felt they should be and are entitled to a different treatment than others. 

Boris Johnson. 

As politicians go Boris Johnson certainly is a rather unique individual. Having delivered Brexit and fought the COVID pandemic with mixed victories, it is now revealed that his and his governments COVID guidelines were really meant for the people but not for him and his cronies at No 10 Downing Street. If the initial revelations of parties at No 10 were not damaging enough the worst came with the news that on the eve of Prince Philips funeral No 10 held a 'bring you own booze' party with invitations sent to 100 people and about 30 plus showing up. This was at a time when meeting more than one person was strictly forbidden under the government guidelines and we all saw the image of the Queen sitting alone in the church at her husbands funeral. 

Faced with a growing party revolt Boris has mumbled a general apology to the nation and his office apologised to the Queen. One would imagine he would turn up in person and offer his deepest apologies to the Queen, but none of this has happened. It is one thing to feel you are entitled to a different treatment to the many who have been under lockdown, and then another thing to be lying about ones behaviour. Boris spent weeks denying any parties took place and then when the first one was revealed he said Sue Gray will investigate this and that he had no knowledge of the parties and then to finally admit they happened. What is there to investigate? People were at the party or they were not? This is something that cannot take more than a couple of days to wrap up. 

We know politicians lie and yet we know there is a ministerial code of conduct which was used to dismiss other cabinet members who did far less worse than Boris. Under the code lying to the House of Commons is a serious matter. Boris has done so repeatedly somehow believing he is entitled to a different set of standards, preferably none at all.

Novak Djokovic

The tennis world went into a major media frenzy when the world number 1 tennis player was denied entry into Australia for the premier Open tennis tournament. A certain amount of mystery was created as to why he wanted to be exempted from the entry requirements into Australia. As the legal battle ensued it was evident that Tennis Australia do not approve entry and it then transpired that Djokovic actually lied on his entry permits and eventually was expelled from Australia. 

Underlying the whole episode was Djokovic's sense of entitlement that he should be treated differently. A sense of privilege what was fed by the voices of support from his supporters and even his government. Sports and entertainment icons have in this modern age come to believe that they are special, which they may well be, but to expect established rules should not only bend for them but to also be set aside is what is in question. Novak Djokovic is not the first and neither the last celebrity who has pushed his sense of entitlement, many others continue to do so, but his case is more poignant as it comes in the middle of a world wide pandemic that has killed millions. In that sense Djokovic feels he should be treated differently just as Boris Johnson in the UK feels that the rules of his own government do not apply to him.

Prince Harry.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have rarely been out of the news. Their departure from the UK and the royal family attracted media attention of an unprecedented level and controversy that continues till today. Prince Harry has raised the question of his and his family's security when they visit UK in the near future. Having exited the royal family officially he is not entitled to this security. He has even offered to pay the bill for the service. 

First of all paying for the security is not an option because in the UK that is not how the system works. Secondly, if the UK police we to have intelligence of a threat to the Prince or his family while on a visit to the UK, they would be duty bound to protect them. This is how it works for other royals in the UK and one wonders why should it be different for Prince Harry. Sadly Harry tends to pick his moments to bring up issues, the current one as the Queen prepares to celebrate her Jubilee as the monarch. One cannot forget the interview with Oprah was at a time when his grandfather Prince Phillip was seriously ill and a sensationalist interview as that could have waited a few months or even a year. 

Royalty have always felt a sense of privilege and an entitlement. In recent decades this has been tolerated as many royals are working royals and in a sense seem to be earning their way. We may not agree with the British royalty and their role in British society but there are many who will agree that the Queen has in person embodied a sense of duty and public service that is commendable. 

Why would Prince Harry still feel he has an entitlement to some if not many of the privileges that he previously enjoyed? There is no doubt that he and Meghan are benefiting from the appendage of 'Duke' and 'Duchess' which to an American audience is a a big deal. This is more than enough for them to earn their own livelihood and thus pay for private security and whatever frills they wish to have in their lives. 

These are just a few examples of the sense of entitlement that some people they must have. This is not a phenomenon that is only in Europe or the UK. The world over, especially in the emerging countries this sense of entitlement giving people the sense that they are above the law or the norms that other people are subject to is very common. We as a society constantly succumb to the demands of entitlement that people impose on us, in the process feeding the monster. In some countries this extends to the sense of impregnability that allows politicians to become corrupt, believing in the end that they are entitlement to be above the law. And then corruption is not only about stealing money, at times its the corruption of breaking laws so brazenly that one can stand up in Parliament and lie, as Boris Johnson did.