The Sour Taste of Entitlement
So this person, let’s call them Jo, was hungry and had no money. Walking the streets of a new city, they come across a square where a group of people are working in a communal open kitchen, serving delicious hot meals free of charge.
The people enjoying the food come from all walks of life: rich, poor, young, old… Most patrons get their plates, say “thank you”, take their meals to one of the many tables and eat, making appreciative noises of satisfaction. Some leave a few coins in a jar as a token of their appreciation.
But not Jo. Jo grabs a plate, and after one bite says: “It’s too hot! Too salty! Too spicy! This dish has got no meat in it! I’m not vegan!”.
The people making and serving the meals, look at each other and then one says: “This is an open kitchen, my friend. Anyone can use it. Come! Join us. Here are the pots and the pans, vegetables, and meats. Here are the knives, the spatulas, a drum of oil, and some spices. Everything is free to use. You can make a dish to your liking.”
Jo doesn’t budge and just yells back: “I’m no cook*! That’s your job!”
The people running the kitchen respond: “It’s not our ‘job’ either. We’re doing it for free to help others…”.
At which point, Jo throws the plate on the floor and storms off to go and complain on Reddit.
* Not everybody has to be or become a cook in this scenario. They can also wash dishes, serve the patrons, contribute food to the collective… But Jo is having none of that either.
