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comment by lil
lil  ·  4057 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Today's Writing Prompt: I'd Like to Be Whoever I Damn Well Please

    I reserve using the word entitled in situations where the object earned it
That makes sense. There's also negative connotations around feelings of entitlement, as if the word implies superiority.

I think of the word "entitled" when I meet people who do not feel comfortable in their own skin, or people who are not confident. I meet people who don't think they are entitled to have their own dreams, people with low self-esteem who let others control them. They don't feel entitled to their own lives and choices. I think of entitled in a democratic way in the sense of we are all entitled to see the sunrise - it's there for all of us, we're entitled to our feelings, we're entitled to oxygen.

There's more -- but I can also see how the word has other meanings.

I agree with you about "fake it till you make it" - acting confident helps one feel real confidence.