What one wants should not be confused with what one deserves

Who among us hasn't felt entitled to something we haven't gotten? Recognition for a job well done. A hug when we're feeling low. An award. These are all things we want. They may even be things we need. But does that mean we deserve them? Not necessarily.
It's a given that every male movie star who was huge in the 1980s, with the lone exception of Clint Eastwood, has lost their marbles (don't even try to bring up Harrison Ford: If it was some other guy in his sixties getting his ear pierced, taking flying lessons and marrying a woman half his age, you'd be mocking him for being pathetic and suffering a mid-life crisis). But if Mel Gibson seriously believes he "deserves" what he says he "deserves" (and boy oh boy, he sure sounds serious), well, I'm ready to send the kid I don't have, Marvin Jr. (that's right, I'm not the biological father of my own imaginary kid. What of it?) off to Tom Cruise Summer Camp.
Now, keeping in mind that there are thousands of people employed in dozens of professions (steelworkers, paramedics, bloggers) who "deserve" it more than any actor, there was a time when Mel might have been able to make this demand and be taken somewhat seriously. Specifically between 1979 ("Road Warrior") and 1995 ("Braveheart"). In 2010 ("Crank Yankers: Too Hot For TV")? Get in line, pal. The fact that you have a jacuzzi means you're doing better than most of us, regardless of what does or doesn't happen there.
America's over-inflated sense of entitlement needs to cease. Teaching racist sociopaths who used to make good movies that they don't deserve blowjobs is as good a place to start as any.