0:00 Who are you? And where are you going? What do you want? Hello and welcome to Jiggers's Place. I'm your host, Kevin DML, and I'm here every other Thursday at 5:00 PM Pac Pacific time. And I'm kind of in the dark. Hold on one second. Let's try this.
0:38 There you go. What a wondrous thing is light. So, uh, if I sound a little strange, uh, yes, that is that is the case. I've been sick for the last week and a half or so. Uh, but you know what? Couldn't give up the opportunity to uh be at Jigger's place uh this afternoon. It's really evening. It's, you know, the sun is going down. As I mentioned, I think last week, this is my favorite time of the year. So, on today's show, I'm going to be talking
1:14 about uh I think it's a fraught subject these days, responsibilities, rights, and entitlements. And it it's a bit of an extension from the show I did on language inflation where one of the words uh I pointed out I believe was deserve. How many times do we hear especially in advertisements about all the things that we deserve? I'm not sure. No, strike that. I am sure we don't deserve
1:50 anything like the number of things that advertisers would like us to believe that we deserve. And so I think we need to give due consideration to this idea of responsibilities, rights, and entitlements. So in honor of that, my drink, my cocktail collaborator and I came up with a cocktail called the weight of responsibility. So this is a ginbased con cocktail. Um, and I'm gonna I'm gonna be using the my bar gin, which
2:27 is tang. And let's see, what else are we going to use here? Um, this beautiful uh reddish pink liquor known as appperol. Um, famous for the apperal spritzer, which is the recipe for which is right on the back of the bottle. And uh it's in a parativo all the way back from 1919, just post World War I. Okay. And then I've got some freshsqueezed grapefruit juice. I just made that a little while ago. Some freshsqueezed lemon juice. Um just a dab of simple
3:04 syrup. And club soda. And then uh where Oh, here it is. I have I've never used this before. This is uh activated charcoal. So, this is going to be an experiment. I've never This is the by far the most complicated cocktail I've made on Jiggers's Place. We'll see how it works out. Oh my gosh, I realized I didn't get my eyes. Okay, so give me 30 seconds.
4:30 So, sorry about the interruption. There's a Yiddish word called fermished, which is what you get when you're kind of sick and confused. And I'm definitely a little ferished here. Okay. All right. So, we've got ice in the shaker. We've got ice in the highball glass. We're going to start out with 3/4 of an ounce of apperol. And let's see. Here's my cup. And they're going to be on the last side that I looked. There we go. Okay,
5:06 we go. And then 34 of an um wait, no, a full ounce of gin. Okay, like that. And then we're going to go with 3/4 of an ounce of the grapefruit juice.
5:42 My ear is really tough. I don't know why I'm having so so much problems here. There we go. Okay. Okay. And a quarter of an ounce of No, half an ounce of fresh lemon juice. Nothing like fresh juices. I know I don't always have them, but uh and then a quarter ounce of simple syrup. So, I'm
6:18 just going to kind of squeeze that in. Probably a little bit too much, but that's okay. And we're gonna shake this up. So, grapefruit juice. I used I used what I could find here during the winter, a pink grapefruit. I have a grapefruit tree in my backyard. I've actually never eaten a grape tree off of it, even though I love grapefruit. So, so me. So, this is getting ice nicely. Some of the water's melting up the flavors.
6:58 Okay. And now come on. There we go. Okay. We're going to strain this into a highball glass. The color is beautiful. And now we're going to take a bar spoon. and pour the club soda over the back of the bar spoon so that it will layer on top.
7:33 Or hopefully it's going to layer on top. Yep, it kind of does. There we go. Okay. So, we got our and I I'll let me show this to you so you can kind of see that the See how it's light on top and darker on the bottom. That's the layering effect of the cocktail. That's what we're after. Okay. Now, I'm going to take the uh the activated charcoal and let it
8:09 kind of dribble. It's supposed to dribble down and make streaks. So, let's see if this works. Okay. And
8:45 if you can see, I'll show this to you. You can see it's starting to make its way down the glass. And it's kind of, you see how it's streaky? That's supposed to be the the weightiness of responsibilities, right? Okay. So, let's give this a taste. Right. Very nice. Perfect for a sore throat. I'll see you on the couch.
9:42 So, here we are at at Jiggers's place after a Oh, boy. It's It's been It's been a week. That's what I'll tell you. It's been a week. This is tasty. When one of your most important clients says to you, "Instead of taking our phone call, why aren't you resting?" You know you're you know you're in trouble, right?
10:18 Ah, yes. Well, you know that's life, right? That's what all the people say. Thank you Frank Sinatra. Okay. So h what is this thing or what are these things called responsibilities, rights and entitlements? We hear at least the latter two quite frequently, less so I think the first one, responsibilities. And yet there was a time in this country when
10:56 responsibilities really were considered at least as important as rights. and the idea of entitlements really hadn't come up. So, uh entitlements is a rather uh contemporary uh phenomenon at least from a from a political standpoint. Um and and even from a social standpoint, we think now about how children are entitled to a childhood.
11:31 But you know, workhouses existed um in England into the 19th century, well into the 19th century. That's what Charles Dickens was writing about in uh in Oliver Twist. And uh you know this idea that children should have a childhood is also for the most part a 20th century and beyond ideal. So let's start by defining what these things are. So responsibilities are obligations or duties that we as
12:09 individuals owe uh to a person, a community, a company, uh a nation, right? And to my mind, the other two cannot exist if people do not take their responsibilities seriously. Okay, we'll talk more about that uh as the show progresses. Rights
12:44 are I've got my notes here. to rights are freedoms or privileges that we enjoy or we have. I think in I'm using enjoy in the sense of the 18th century word that we have as human beings. Okay? Or as citizens of a country. So quoting the Declaration of Independence, we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And those rights are they they're what
13:19 what were called still are in some areas called natural rights. Meaning every human being no matter where they are has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Okay. So, uh, here in the United States, we have rights beyond those natural rights that are granted to us by the Constitution. We have the Bill
13:56 of Rights and we have um we have the federal bill of rights, I should say, and we have the state and each state typically has a constitution with uh in many cases a bill of rights. Okay? And then there's entitlements. So entitlements are kind of privileges if you will uh to which that that someone receives because they are part of a particular group. And either the characteristics
14:32 and situation of the members of that group mean that uh a government or a business has given them a benefit. Hence the word entitlement or they have earned it. Okay. So for earned we can use that term more strictly or loosely depending on the context. Okay. So, someone who serves honorably in the United States milit or I should say someone who serves not dishonorably in
15:08 the United States military for 20 years is entitled to a pension. Okay. So uh everyone has responsibilities almost well everyone has certain rights. Um however uh it is possible for some people to um lose their rights in certain circumstances. So, I'll give you an
15:44 example. Um, people over the age of 18 have the right to vote, okay? In both state and federal elections. But at the federal level, a convicted felon, okay, uh I I I shouldn't say all felonies. I I think it's certain felonies, uh deprive the person of the right to vote. Okay? So a convicted murderer loses the right to vote. Okay. And okay uh D
16:22 and then only particular groups are entitled to entitlements. Now let's talk about the interaction of these. So I mentioned in the beginning responsibilities are in many ways the precursors of rights.
16:57 So if we as citizens of the United States do not take our responsibilities seriously, so then we may uh sacrifice or lose our rights or make them functionally immaterial. Okay. So if we do not take seriously the responsibility to vote but to vote
17:34 based on understanding the issues at stake the qualifications of the candidates. Okay. So then if things work out other than the way we want them to, if we haven't fulfilled our responsibility as a voter, frankly, our complaints don't mean a whole lot, right? Because we haven't fulfilled our responsibilities, right? So I have a friend who has never voted in any election, okay? and he
18:10 started complaining about something uh going on in the country. This is a while back. And I observed to him, "You've never ever voted. Why should I listen to your complaint?" Said, "Well, I'm a citizen." I said, "Well, that's true. Yes, you are. And this affects me." Yes, it does. And I have I have my rights. You surely do. He said, "So that's why I'm complaining." I said, "Well, fine, but I'm going to discount your complaint because you didn't fulfill your
18:45 responsibility." And I think a lot of us, if we sat down and thought about it, would view it the same way. Okay? So, the two go hand in glove. Okay? Now we also have a responsibility to obey the laws in our country. Now the responsibility is to obey the laws not to obey the laws that we like.
19:21 And if we don't like a law, we still have to obey it. However, we have the right to try and change the law. Okay? So, and that's how our system works. By the way, this is not political. This is just the way a constitutional republic operates. And by the way, we live in a republic, okay? We do not live in a democracy. There are certain more
19:56 small d democratic aspects of of our political system. But our country is a republic because almost all our laws are created by representatives that we elect. That is the hallmark of a republic. In a democracy, okay, we would vote on every issue that came before the body politic or on every issue that impacted the body politic. Okay. All right.
20:36 Okay. So when we neglect our responsibilities, number one, we at least potentially put our rights in jeopardy and number two, we can't really appreciate those rights. Um, in the same way that it's harder for a child to appreciate something
21:11 that's given to the child just as a flatout gift as opposed to something the child earns. And we both know there's a difference between the two of those, right? So when we work and earn the money and go and buy something for ourselves, that's a much more satisfying experience, at least for most of us, than to just be given stuff. And we have a much greater appreciation for that thing because we know the hard work it
21:46 took to get it, right? And this is where entitlements come come into play. So rights and entitlements are not the same thing, although they're being increasingly conflated. Okay? So a right is something that applies to virtually universally. As I mentioned before, there are a few contexts or situations in which someone may forfeit a right, but in general,
22:21 rights are universal. Okay? Entitlements are not. So, for example, social security is an entitlement. Okay? And we may think that it's an entitlement for everyone over a certain age, 63, 65, whatever the, you know, there are various ages at which someone qualifies to start getting social security payments. But the reality is one is only entitled to social security payments once they reach the age at
22:58 which they can take them. If they have paid a certain amount of what's called FICA, uh, federal insurance contribut contributory act or something like that, taxes over a certain period of time. And if someone has not done that, they're not they're not entitled to Social Security, even if they're 65 years old.
23:36 Now more and more we hear about all the things that people have a right to. Even if by at least quasi granting them that right they harm themselves. they create uh harm even danger in their communities. Okay. So there's a big debate about
24:14 uh homeless people or what we what we used to call vagrants and in some cities. They've been granted the right or the entitlement or the right to live in public parks. right? That never would have passed muster half a century ago. And indeed, there is a concurrent responsibility to public parks and that is to use them in a way that does not hamper their use
24:50 by other members of the community. So by saying that homeless people have a right to live in public parks, what we're saying is they have the right but they they have a right but they don't have a concurrent responsibility because often time they're living there creates conditions that make the parks unusable for for example children. Okay, this is why rights,
25:26 responsibilities, and entitlements all have to work in concert. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say they have to balance each other out because that's a almost impossible equation to make. Responsibilities have to come first. Indeed, I would argue that society is being irresponsible in letting people who are mentally ill, which is a a significant proportion of
26:01 of homeless people. society's being irresponsible by allowing them to live on the streets. Where especially women can become prey to sexual predators where um people are exposed to the elements, cold, wet, rain, vermin. Okay. So, we have a responsibility as members of a community
26:37 to see to it that members of our community who are unable to care for themselves nonetheless are taken care of. Okay. Now, that responsibility shows up nowhere in any law book. And a lot of our responsibilities don't show up in any law book. But nonetheless, they're there. They are an extension of the moral foundation on which our society is built. Okay. Now, you'll notice, by the way,
27:16 governments have don't really have responsibilities. Okay? They have duties that they are obligated to perform under the law. But governments are not moral entities. Governments in take on the sort of quasi moral foundation of the individuals that make up that community. But the moral responsibility
27:53 rests with the members of the community, not with the government. And this has been, I think, a problem in our society as well. is we've tried to shift our responsibilities onto government entities and it doesn't work because that's that's not their job and we can't make it their job. And indeed, we cannot appoint someone to carry out our responsibilities
28:29 and presume that they're going to do so according to our individual moral code. And an attempt to do that is doomed to to failure. Okay. So there are different uh contexts shall we say in which to in which we have to consider our responsibilities and our rights. Pardon me.
29:09 So there is the private and the public sphere. And our responsibilities in the private sphere are different than those in the public sphere. And this too, I think, causes a lot of problems because people want to extend into the public sphere our private rights and and it just it just doesn't work out. Okay. So
29:45 I as as as an individual I have a responsibility to see to it that my family and my friends um are taken care of. Now, if each of us and and and my I should say my family, my friends, my neighbors, if each of us took that responsibility seriously,
30:21 there would be a lot less homelessness. Okay. Now I acknowledge it's very very difficult if if if someone has a family member for example who's suffering from schizophrenia which is um a mental illness that plagues um you know a number of homeless people. It's very very hard to deal with that person. That doesn't mean we can sherk our responsibility.
30:56 We still have to exercise it. We may need to secure help from friends, families, professionals. Okay? But we, you know, sherking the responsibility and insisting that the community take care of that person. Okay? that is morally unsound. Now, you might say, "Well, I can't afford to do that." That that's a that's a legitimate
31:32 concern. And there are programs around to help with that. Okay? So the responsibility is to see that care is rendered. But it may it may involve enlisting, you know, local resources that go beyond your family in order to accomplish that goal. Okay? And so and and so our private obligations
32:08 are different. There in many ways there is no public obligation per se. Okay. Public obligations are only the sum total of private obligations that affect the larger community. Okay. So again, the responsibility to vote that's a public obligation because it affects the broader community, okay? Whereas taking care of our family members, our our, you know, um our
32:45 neighbors, okay, that most directly affects those individuals. And that's the distinction between public and private, I would argue. Okay. Nonetheless, we cannot sherk our responsibilities in either realm. Pardon me. Now, there are also responsibilities in the workplace. Okay. We have to fulfill our responsibilities
33:21 in our in our job. Okay. So we need to consider what are our responsibilities in the various realms that we inhabit and how are we going to fulfill those responsibilities. I'll give you an example. I'm in a situation right now um that's become increasingly difficult um and it's it involves a client of my sister Mara who is a therapist
33:57 um and this particular client has gotten into a real financial mess and my sister Mara doesn't have the expertise and the experience to deal with it so she asked me to help Right. This is Mara taking responsibility for a member of her community and this is me fulfilling my responsibility as the member of a family. And you know,
34:35 it's it's been a lot of work. And candidly, the only thing I get out of it is the knowledge of knowing that I fulfilled my responsibility to my family. That's just the way it is. And normally, I would get paid for doing what I'm doing. But not in this case. And the fact that I'm not getting paid is immaterial. I still have a responsibility to fill. Right? Now, is the person that I'm seeking to help, does the person have a right to my help? No. Is the person entitled to my help? No.
35:15 Okay. But the person is part of kind of my larger community in the sense that this is someone important to my sister. And so she does have a call on me for one of a better way of putting it. And I have a responsibility to do my best to help with the situation. Okay. And I was talking to a friend of this person who I consider to be in a in
35:52 a position to help in certain ways. And this person is very torn because this person views certain risks to uh her own well-being if she were to accept the responsibility I suggested she should accept. She cares about this person. She's been a good friend of this person for a long time. And yet, you know what is her what is her responsibility? Is she
36:29 required to sacrifice her own well-being for the sake of this person? No, I don't think so. Is she required to suffer some discomfort for the sake of this person? Yes, I think so. And somewhere in the middle of well-being and discomfort, wherever that is, here, here, I don't know. That's where, you know, she can draw the line. That's where we can all draw the line. Excuse me.
37:05 Okay. So, I want to talk about entitlements. Now, there are far more legal entitlements in our society today than there's ever been before. And the even the word entitlement I think is problematic because an entitlement makes it sound like a person is deserving of this for no other reason than they're deserving of it.
37:41 Okay? And that's a problem. Let's look at something like uh what are called SNAP benefits. So this is this is what used to be known as food stamps. So, we as a society, for good or for bad, have decided that we want to subsidize a certain level of nutritional um security for one of a better word. Okay. Now, here's the interesting thing.
38:17 There are all kinds of things that a SNAP beneficiary can buy that have little if any nutritional value. And I would argue that since SNAP, which means supplemental nutritional something or other uh something or other program is for nutritional purposes. someone who is a SNAP beneficiary has a responsibility to use it for buying
38:53 nutrition as opposed to, I don't know, soda pop, which has no nutritional value. Now, don't get me wrong, soda pop is delicious. I don't drink it very often anymore, but there was a time when I love dearly love my Coca-Cola. I get it, okay? But let's be honest, there's no nutritional value to Coca-Cola or any other kind of soda pop. There's no nutritional value in candy. There's an emotional value to it because we like it and gives us pleasure. And
39:28 and I'm not denying that that's the case. But the point of the entitlement is to is to see to it that people can live healthy lives. Right? So what what gets lost in discussions of entitlements is the concurrent responsibility that go that attends or attaches I should say to the recipient of the entitlement.
40:06 Right? Again, all of these work in concert with each other. And if they don't, that's when the system starts to break down. Okay? I don't think there's very many people in this country, I won't say there's none because there's always crazy people out there that want, you know, people to starve. Okay. I but I think that to the extent that um we are as a society helping people
40:43 out who through unfortunate circumstances or whatever aren't able to afford to buy themselves sufficient food. I think that we can expect that, you know, the support we're giving is being used as beneficially as possible. I don't think a lot of people would disagree with that either if we sort of pushed all the, you know, political blather aside and we just sat here over
41:19 a cocktail as we do here at Jigger's Place and talked about values and being a part of a community and all of that. Food for thought. So, you know, as we as we head into the holiday season, we think about the year to come. We gather with friends and family,
41:55 which these days seem to so often be fraught with conflict, especially over politics. Maybe instead of getting bogged down in those kind of destructive conversations, maybe let's let's talk about responsibilities and rights and entitlements and how they're supposed to work in concert. how they should bind us together as a society and search for
42:32 those aspects on which the vast majority of us can agree. And maybe in that way we can aspire to the spirit of this time of year. And and I'm speaking of the I as a Jewish guy, I'm speaking of the spirit of Christmas, right? Peace on earth, goodwill toward men. This is the time of year when we should be thinking about that
43:10 and rather looking rather than looking for ways to get into arguments or dispute or prove somebody else wrong, let's look for ways that we can agree with one another. Let's look for ways we can build up that foundation on which our society rests. and in so doing really infuse ourself with the spirit of the season.
43:45 And I think if we do then indeed we will have a very very happy new year. So I thank you very much for joining me as always. It's my favorite time of the of the uh every two week period here at Jigger's Place. And I wish you a wonderful evening, a run wonderful rest of the week and restorative weekend. I'm hoping to have one myself and look forward to seeing you next week.
44:21 Marie darling, you are my bell. Courage at all times, my friends.