<p>I am constantly seeing references to "spoiled" kids throughout this forum, and I am wondering, what is your definition of "spoiled"? I see the word used to loosely, and I am curious as to whether you guys think spoiled means:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a rich kid who gets whatever he/she needs and most of what he/she wants, even if he/she is thankful for it</p></li>
<li><p>someone who does not realize how many luxuries he/she has, and is not thankful</p></li>
<li><p>or something else</p></li>
</ul>
<p>i've been reading a book ("all but my life") that has been making me rethink what luxuries really are, and i just wanted your take on this subject</p>
<p>I think "spoiled" also carries with it a contempt for those who have less than you, or who are minimalists and don't actually even want those material goods. </p>
<p>Spoiled kids also have contempt for their parents in a very subtle way.</p>
<p>"someone who does not realize how many luxuries he/she has, and is not thankful"</p>
<p>I agree with that deffinition, but I've seen people labeled as spoiled who are more like this:
"a rich kid who gets whatever he/she needs and most of what he/she wants, even if he/she is thankful for it"</p>
<p>I personally couldn't care less if someone is spoiled. A "spoiled brat" is just plain irksome though.
Person A- spoiled; if someone gets whatever he/ she needs, it doesn't make them a bad person
Person B- spoiled brat; these are the people I want to smack
Person C- some people get things that they don't need, still spoiled... not necessarily "bad" though.</p>
<p>I personally have a very loose thinking on what is a real luxury, and I'm fine with having to give some things up at the drop of a hat. I'm rather a minimalist.</p>
<p>"someone who does not realize how many luxuries he/she has, and is not thankful"</p>
<p>That to me is more spoiled.</p>
<p>I'm incredibly blessed in that I'm able to have a lot of what I want in addition to what I need, but I realize how rare that is and I am reallllly thankful for it. And I make sure my parents know how much I appreciate it.</p>
<p>Like this one time on another message board I'm on, there was this girl who got a really nice MP3 player for Christmas. And she said:</p>
<p>"But I made my dad take the MP3 player and go buy me an iPod, because I wanted an iPod."</p>
<p>^That to me is a spoiled brat, while you are spoiled.
But I hold that there's nothing wrong with being spoiled, it's all in the way you hold yourself in the world.</p>
<p>I disagree with Johnson181. I'm a lot like HisGraceFillsMe, I have everything I want and need (I don't want too much), and I'm thankful. But I don't think that makes me spoiled. "Spoiled" even without the "brat" attached to it, has a negative connotation. Just like people from a worse economic disposition can not be blamed for their circumstances, neither can those from a better. And I certainly don't think those who have been given a lot deserve to be looked down upon simply based on that fact. It's how one deals with their circumstances that defines his/her character, not the circumstances themselves.</p>
<p>spoiled kids gets too much and **** and arent thankful for it. there arent many people who get everything they want and stay all humble about it. eventually you come to expect what you what when you want it.</p>
<p>people have called me spoiled all my life because i usually get whatever i want. but i am very grateful for everything my parents do/have done for me. so, am i really spoiled?</p>
<p>
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Just like people from a worse economic disposition can not be blamed for their circumstances, neither can those from a better.
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</p>
<p>Haha. If only the teachers from my school would learn that and stop making me feel that just because I live in an affluent area, I don't deserve to live at all.</p>
<p>I also agree that the word "spoiled" itself carries a bad connotation, indicating that the person in question is in fact a "bad person."</p>
<p>yeah, for example, my best friend's dad is a doctor and they live in a big house, and have nice stuff. she gets teased a lot, but i dont see why. her dad worked hard to get through school and to become a good doctor, and they deserve what they have. and she is very down to earth about it all, and she appreciates what she has. i dont see her as spoiled.</p>
<p>^I agree. I can't control that I come from a household with parents who make enough money to give me the things I want as well as the things I need. </p>
<p>And I don't expect it either. Every time I ask my mom something like "Can I get a bag for school?" I don't expect her to say yes. </p>
<p>Especially because we didn't always have as much money as we do now, but then my mom got this amazing new job and makes way more money now. So I'm way more appreciative, I think.</p>
<p>One of the things I remember my fourth grade teacher saying was that it's okay to be spoiled as long as you have a sense of responsibility.</p>
<p>I think a lot of us are more spoiled than we think we are. But most of us have a sense of responsibility. While "spoiled" does carry a negative connotation, I don't think it necessarily marks you as a bad person. I mean, if you've been raised in a comfortable home with giving parents, then you get used to it. But I think that's where being "spoiled" and being a "spoiled brat" diverge. </p>
<p>When you're spoiled, you may be used to living in luxury, but you're aware that you're lucky, that you can't expect the rest of the world to revolve around you. I think I'm spoiled because my parents give me all I need and sometimes more. I take for granted what others may never live to see - hot showers, fresh food, warm sheets, toilet paper even. When I go to a different part of the world where toilet paper isn't always a given, yes, I will wish I was at home. And, you know what? Most of the time, I do take these things for granted. But I wouldn't call mysef a brat because I understand my parents work for their money. I prefer having my own part-time job for spending money. And I'm used to hearing 'no' (but my parents do say 'yes' more often).</p>
<p>Spoiled brats tend to think they're entitled to whatever they want, that they "deserve" special treatment just for being their parents' darling. When they want something, they want it right now.</p>
<p>i love that book too, andreaaaaaa. it has really made me change the way i think about things. i come from an upper-middle class family, so basically i have a great education plus many luxuries, although i have always been thankful for those luxuries. after reading "all but my life," i started to realize that luxuries don't just include iPods and nice computers and occasional vacations. they also include endless amounts of food, the ability to take a shower every night, a bed to sleep in, and even family that are always at your side. i guess what i'm trying to say is that anything that isn't needed for bare existence is a luxury, and that there are just too many people people aren't grateful enough.</p>
<p>but when it comes to the term "spoiled," i still don't know what i think (which is part of the reason i started this thread). i have been called spoiled before , but i really don't know if i belong in that category, because i was born into the lucky life that i have, and i am thankful for everything around me. so is "spoiled" a state that you are born into, or a state that you put yourself into? </p>
<p>anyway, i am becoming more and more of a minimalist, because i feel guilty buying things that i don't use to the full extent. also, i like a "clutter-free" lifestyle. it makes me feel better about myself.</p>
<p>i guess everybody interprets this differently, so there is no real answer as to what spoiled is, but keep the opinions coming!</p>