Fighting the second-handers

Those who have read Ayn Rand's Fountainhead will know what the term 'second-hander' means. It describes all the people in our society who live the lives of parasites, living off the efforts of others, doing some good work at times but claiming the efforts of others as their own, most of the times, if not all the time. These are people who believe that others exist but for one purpose: To serve them. They not only shamelessly live off these people, but also don't feel any guilt in doing so. In fact, they believe that it is their birthright to expect to be waited upon by these people. The movie Rocky 3 salutes the spirit of Rand without naming it in a scene in which Rocky comes to the prison to bail his brother in law, Paulie, out of the prison. Paulie starts complaining that Rocky hasn't done anything to improve his lot even after becoming rich and popular. He further goes on to say that as a friend, Rocky owes him a lot, to which Rocky retorts "Friends don't owe. They just help". Just because a friend of mine helps me, I would be foolish to assume that it is his duty to help and serve me.

I have been a member of the placement committee of our institution for sometime now, and now, am almost saddled with the task of leading it as the other people have bailed out, thinking that it is a lost cause. I don't really blame them either as the course is really grueling and nobody has the time to devote full-time to the placement activities. However, the attitudes of a few people are really astonishing. They assume that I'm there to molly-coddle them, that it's my responsibility to be in the know about everything related to placements, even about the mails that come to a common mail account, even before I myself get an opportunity to read it! They don't want to do anything about it, but still expect that I work hard at the common responsibilities that have overnight become 'my' responsibilities. Not just that, I also need to be sportive about the unsporting criticism that I get. I mean, I'm doing these guys a favor by taking up responsibilities that none of them were willing to take up, yet I'm supposed be ashamed of myself for not treating these second handers well enough! The very guy who kicked up a fuss was one whose name was also proposed, in the list of committee members, but he was more slippery than an eel in wriggling himself out of any responsibilities, yet he thinks he is entitled to order me about and that I'm bound to show subservience to him.

I'm no Jesus Christ to do all the good and hard work and still get crucified for it! Second handers are worse than pests and ought to be exterminated, or, as the protagonists in Atlas Shrugged do, must be left to fend totally for themselves. Yes, that would be a fitting treatment for them.