Emerging in the United States is an unhealthy sense of entitlement, actor and entrepreneur Ashton Kutcher told Ellen DeGeneres Wednesday.
“It’s funny — I mean — I talk to some of my friends and they don’t want to get a job at Starbucks or they don’t want to get a job at wherever because they feel like it’s below them. And I think the only thing that could be below you is to not have a job! Go work until you can get the job you want to have. And I'm really lucky to get to work with a lot of entrepreneurs that are building some of the coolest, new stuff in the world and these guys work—guys and girls—work really hard and they put in the hours and they're generous and care about other people and its what lead to their success."
Flashback to August when the unassuming actor attracted national attention after his speech at the Teen Choice Awards. He debunked his own name, saying he was born a ‘Chris’ and only adopted his middle name ‘Ashton’ when he became an actor. And what got him his golden opportunity? Hard work.
“When I was 13, I had my first job with my dad carrying shingles up to the roof, and then I got a job washing dishes at a restaurant, and then I got a job in a grocery store deli, and then I got a job at a factory sweeping Cheerio dust off the ground. And I’ve never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job.”
Kutcher remarked on this speech, telling Ellen fame is ‘kind of crap’:
“working hard and being thoughtful and generous and smart—it's a path to a better life."
The Federal Budget in Pictures, reveals that entitlement spending in the United States is growing at a rapid pace. Obamacare’s exchange subsidies and expanding Medicaid programs compose 53 percent of increased health care spending through 2023, according the The Heritage Foundation.
Creating a system where dependence is expected, whether that be on government programs or on your parents' wealth, jointly develops an entitlement society. Kutcher has been dubbed a fiscal conservative and social liberal. But doesn't being fiscally conservative really just translate to hard work and self-accountability?
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The takeaway? In tandem with the line of thought in Britney Spears’ new hit single:
“You wanna Bugatti? You wanna Maserati? You better work b***!”
But on a more serious note. A seemingly menial job is not beneath anyone. However, not working at all, or relying on others to provide for you, that is what is too low for the American people.
Hear the rest of Kutcher's thoughts on how dynamics are shifting in the American society:
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