There is a particularly aggravating television commercial currently airing in heavy rotation in which the statement that "you"--i.e., the consumer--"have a right to" the service advertised. This smacks to me of the ignorance, arrogance, and indulgence that characterize the United States throughout the rest of the world. Have we as a society come so low that we no longer recognize the difference between rights and privilege?
Rights are guarantees of personal liberty provided to a person by the nation of their birth. In the USA, we have ten of them, as decreed by a document appropriately called the Bill of Rights. I could go on Wikipedia right now and come back being all professorial, but the truth is that I can't name all ten of my rights. I know that I have the right to speak freely, the right to bear arms, the right to worship (or not) who, what, where, and when I choose, and the right to a fair trial if I am accused of violating the laws of my state and nation. I'm pretty sure that those are the first four, and I think that the fifth has to do with freedom of the press. Beyond that my knowledge is hazy. I wonder how many of my fellow citizens could even get that far?
What I do know is that nowhere in the Bill of Rights is there mention of such things as hair shampoo, wireless communications, drugs to boost my sexual performance, or the latest hit movies on pay-per-view. Those things are privileges available to me as I can afford. Even the basic amenities of comfort--food, shelter, hot and cold running water--are privileges.
Rights are given. Privileges must be earned. I feel it important that somebody stand up and point out the distinction. We should all know our rights, lest we forget how privileged we are.
