Ever hear of this expression?   It's a rather racist phrase used to describe most of the things us more fortunate people bitch about on a daily basis.  People don't have enough real problems of their own, so they resort to complaining about insignificant things, being totally ignorant to those with real serious problems... like black people... i guess.   It can also be used to describe people who concern themselves with the petty issues of others... like on Dr.Phil... again because they don't have enough real issues of their own to rightfully feel wronged by.

I'm no saint...  I caught myself being rather pissed off at my cell phone and job the past couple weeks.   My sister emailed me the other day, saying that my mom tried to call me, but couldn't get through.  I had no missed calls on my phone, and so I got really pissed, thinking that my nearly brand new phone that I pay for each month, is broken, and I am thus victimized by the service provider, who really are just out to get me, and to make my life sooo miserable.   I felt the entitlement to call these people, and give some innocent min wage call center person, who's only doing what their employers ask of them, a piece of my mind.  I was going to blame that person for my issues, and I was going to demand that they fixed it.... cause god forbid, my mother can't call me. These people officially stole from me... and they deserve to rot for it.   Right.....?  

All the while, I didn't dare think of the nice people out there who can't afford a cell phone, or the people who were actually financially ruined by a cell phone company's mistake.  I didn't think about the people in China working 20 hour days, making my cellphone batteries, or any of the hundreds of other luxuries I have that came at the great physical, financial, or moral expense of someone else.  All I could focus on was my problem, and how big of a deal it was for me. 

Same with my job situation.  I work for a temp agency.  I have a shitty job, and work for shitty pay... but I have a job, which is much more than even I could say a couple months ago.   I know there are other people eager to do the shit I do, and are more than willing to do it for less, if it means feeding their children, and having a roof over their head.  I don't have children, and without my income, can still get by with my bf's income.  It's no walk in the park, but it's nothing compared to what other people go through.   But somehow... I still feel the right to complain.    The company that I work for is so unorganized, and they profit sooo much on the hours I work... all they do is make a few phone calls, and fill out a couple forms...  I work very hard just to gain opportunity, and the min wage I get.  I have no benefits... am not allowed to take vacation days - ever, and I am simply unable to rely on any income coming in from day to day.  I know there are other people who are much better off than I am (people who work in the temp office, just to name a few) but I also know that there are countless others in far worse predicaments.  I know that had I been alive less than a hundred years ago... that I wouldn't even have the right to speak up for myself.  Hell, if I were Chinese I would probably be sitting in some orphanage after being abandoned by parents who were looking to have a boy instead.  I could be some product of the sex trade, and be abused on a daily basis.   I could be homeless.  I could be much worse off than I am now.... very easily.   But why do I have such a hard time appreciating it?  Because things aren't going the way I want them to?  Because the temp agency made a few fuck ups that effected me much more than it effected them?   Yuhp that's right. 

And there's people worst than me.  There are people who simply wouldn't even consider sacrificing anything comparable to what I have sacrificed, let alone what I have accepted as a positive achievement.  Shit like that is simply unacceptable.  I watch shows like house hunters, and each and every single one of those potential buyers have expectations much higher than their budgets allow, and feel deeply sorry for themselves for having to sacrifice something as insignificant as an unneeded guest bedroom.  Like these people won't buy a house  unless it had a 4 piece master on-suite.  Or they NEED large walk in closets because they have too many shoes, and too large of a wardrobe to put into an average sized closet.  They expect perfection, and anything less is unexceptable.  While the people who built those nice homes are probably Mexican people living in some slum, working illegally for less than min wage, in order to try and make a better life for themselves in America or Canada... they don't complain, because they know that their choice is to either go back to Mexico, or stay here and be stepped on.

The question is... does anyone ever earn the right to complain, or have unrealistic, unnecessary high standards?  How come the people who are entitled to complain, rarely do? Why are they more grateful than people who have so many luxuries?   How would things be like if no body ever took anything for granted?  If we appreciated every little thing we have?  How/why do our standards get so high?  Why is anyone entitled to not settle for anything less than their large list of so called 'needs'?

I guess the solution would be to make everyone equally poor, and equally spread the worlds problems over everyone.  When an earthquake hits.... it would have to shake the entire earth, and destroy every building, killing at least one member of every family.  We would have to either banish all luxury, or make every luxury available to all.  Every company would have to lay off all of their employees come lay off time, or neither at all.

Impossible I know... there's no way in hell that we could all equally appreciate everything, and sympathize to all problems enough to each take equal actions towards proving that.

I heard that one of the richest men of all time was some Chinese man who lived as limited as possible, in order to save every extra cent he earned.  He was a millionaire, yet lived in a shack, bought only what he needed to survive, and shared what he did have with his family.  I think he got the idea.