Here’s an interesting little tidbit that was brought to my attention by a friend. (Hi, Kevin!) The expression, “Pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps” used to mean attempting to do something that’s impossible. If you think about it, that makes perfect sense.
After all, a bootstrap is a loop on a boot that is most often used to help pull the boot onto your foot. If you’re wearing boots, and you’re down on the ground, there’s no way on earth that you’re going to grab those bootstraps and pull yourself back into a standing position. A quick glance at the Wikipedia page confirms this original interpretation.
Somewhere along the line, this phrase got twisted around to mean that you should rely on yourself. Don’t ask for help. Toughen up and get standing. If you’re unable to stand up on your own, well, you’re a massive failure.
This sounds like classic Republican doublespeak to me. It’s a way of saying, “Don’t rely on public assistance regardless of your circumstance! Don’t get vaccinated! Why should your healthcare be our responsibility? You should be able to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps just like everybody else!”
This modern-day bootstrapping attitude demonstrates a total lack of communal responsibility. It’s also dangerous. If the individuals in society are set up for failure, it leads to depression, frustration, anger, and violence.
It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to admit that there are some things that you just can’t handle on your own. Sophisticated and functional societies know this, and have social safety nets in place. No one should be shamed for accessing those safety nets.
Anyone who claims to have gotten where they are today by simply having a stiff upper lip and an inflexible sense of self-reliance is delusional. No one is self-made. No man is an island. So please don’t feel bad if you’ve tried to be one and failed.
Hey! Look what I wrote! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
Leave a Reply to The View from a DrawbridgeCancel reply