Spoiled ‘cacique’ brats

For going nuts over a bag of nuts, a Korean Airlines top executive is now the object of harsh public criticism after her fit of temper caused the delay of a flight from New York to Seoul. Cho Hyun-Ah, who also happens to be the airline owner’s daughter, lost her cool when a senior flight attendant served macadamia nuts without asking if she wanted them. Apparently, the lady boss got even angrier because the offending nuts were still in the bag and not on a plate – triggering a question-and-answer session about airline service standards and other policy that ended up with Cho ordering the taxiing plane to go back to the JFK gate because she wanted the senior flight attendant offloaded.

The backlash has been quick, with the 40-year-old airline exec, also known as Heather Cho, forced to resign as company vice president even as her CEO father issued an apology over the incident. The airline though tried to excuse her behavior saying that checking standards was part of her job, and that the cabin crewmember was unable to answer her questions satisfactorily. Comments have been severe over social media, with one of them even commenting that the executive is “in the wrong Korea.”

South Korean transport authorities say they will also investigate the incident to see if Cho’s action’s violated aviation safety regulations. Political groups have also issued their condemnation, taking Cho to task for tarnishing the reputation of the South Korean flag carrier.  Korean media was also quick to pounce on the incident, saying her pettiness and inappropriate behavior is proof of the sense of privilege and entitlement that wealthy spoiled brats display. After all, the Cornell-educated Korean could have waited until after the flight arrived in Seoul to berate or even fire the flight crew.

Psychologist Paul Piff called this “the asshole effect” – a term that explains how wealth can breed a sense of entitlement, and that the richer the person, the more mean and exploitative he can become. Piff came to this conclusion after conducting a series of experiments – among them observing the behavior of drivers and the make and model of their cars.

Apparently, those who drive more high-end vehicles have a tendency to display nastier behavior – like cutting off the drivers of old and low-end (Japanese) cars and refusing to yield to crossing pedestrians. Piff’s experiment showed that the thought (or knowledge) of being rich and privileged gives a person increased feelings of entitlement and a sense of superiority, giving him the notion that he deserves more compared to those with lower backgrounds.

Piff’s experiment also revealed that bad behavior could be encouraged by one’s wealth or social status. For instance, some rich children do not feel any remorse at taking things and in fact, do not consider it an act of stealing – in contrast to those coming from a middle class or lower status.

More often than not, spoiled brats expect to get away with inappropriate behavior, having learned from childhood that they can do and have anything they want without having to answer for the consequences of their actions. They also have a tendency to look down on those who have neither wealth nor privilege, treating the less fortunate as second-class citizens.

In the Philippines today, we continue to see a number of spoiled cacique type brats who think money or power gives them the license to act in an obnoxious manner. More likely than not, these people have never worked for their money, their parents’ wealth ensuring that everything is handed down to them on a silver platter.  These spoiled “herederos” are usually selfish and self-centered, thinking everything revolves around them.

This is what we call the “cacique mentality” that traces its roots to the Spanish colonial times, with the landed rich or hacenderos having that “kami pwede, kayo hindi” attitude. Sadly, this kind of double standard is still prevalent today, where the wealthy continue to think they are above the law.

And because these people never really had to sweat for their wealth, they could be quite cavalier when it comes to spending habits, in the process destroying their character. This was precisely what a British judge wanted to prevent when he ruled that the children from this very rich family (whose identity has been withheld) must not be allowed to know the extent of their wealth because it could create a sense of entitlement that could have a detrimental effect on the well being of the children.

In his ruling, the judge imposed restrictions on the kind of publicity that can come out regarding the children’s trust fund, noting that the parents have tried very hard to raise their children in “as normal a lifestyle as possible.” The judge was particularly concerned that the enormous wealth of the children – all below 10 – might stop them from studying and “discourage them from making their own way in life and contributing to society.”

Many certainly understand where the judge was coming from, having known a lot of sad stories about spoiled kids wasting educational opportunities and squandering their parents’ wealth in the end. The more admirable people are those who worked hard not only to obtain an education, but also to improve their status in life, working hard for their money, so to speak – such as Henry “Tatang” Sy whose rags-to-riches story proves that determination, perseverance and a positive attitude can turn a poor boy into the richest individual in the country today.

Manny Pangilinan is also another example of someone who used education to make his wealth and work his way up to become the “MVP Bossing” that he is today.

Definitely there is only one fact in life – those who earned wealth the hard way are usually better persons than those who never worked a day in their life.

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