Theodore Dalrymple on the Entitlement Mentality Fostered by the Welfare State

A young woman was charged with assault, under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, on a very old lady about five times her age. Describing her childhood, the young accused mentioned that her mother had once been in trouble with the police.

"What for?" I asked.

"She was on the Social [Security] and working at the same time."

"What happened?" I asked.

"She had to give up working."

The air of self-evidence with which she said this revealed a whole world of presuppositions. For her, and those around her, work was the last resort; economic dependence on state handouts was the natural condition of man.