Growing up, the term “dibs” related to the claim of an implied right to have or acquire something from another person. If person X called dibs on a ride in the passenger seat of a vehicle, it essentially meant that person X was entitled to ride next to the driver.
As I became an adult, this concept was transformed by others into the term “gibs.” Regarding this word, one source describes, “Handouts given to or demanded by ungrateful people. Derived from childlike speech such as ‘gib me cookies.”
In a post entitled Callings DIBS on Gibs, I stated:
Albert Ellis, creator of REBT stated, “Your emotion, which we call childishness or whining, or low frustration tolerance,” can be elevated when we attach ourselves to demands. I anticipate children acting out when they don’t get their way, and over the years I’ve assisted adults with challenging similar behavior.
Though I suspect a person may think that when I critique overly entitled demandingness, I perceivably engage in little more than reductionist shitposting. This imagined claim is partially accurate.
I do intend to mock irrational beliefs thrust into the zeitgeist—the defining perspective of a particular period of history, as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time. Still, I also aim to promote critical thinking so that others may question absurd claims to things such as dibs.
In a blog entry entitled Magic Beans Forgiveness, I stated:
The promised government entitlement (positive right) of student loan relief isn’t constitutional and therefore it isn’t lawful. One may declare that it should, must, or ought to be allowed, though this is not how the world operates.
Earlier today, according to one source, “The Supreme Court is set to rule soon on a headline-grabbing case concerning President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program that will affect the finances of millions of Americans.” Currently, a decision has been reached.
A so-called “student loan forgiveness program,” or simply “forgibs,” isn’t an actual entitlement to which “millions of Americans” may lay legal claim. It doesn’t matter how much a person may “feel” as though such an imagined “right” is warranted, it isn’t—factually so.
Per one earlier source, “The court is set to announce rulings on a pair of cases that challenge President Joe Biden’s bid to forgive over $400 billion in student loans, a policy that would relieve the debt of over 40 million Americans.” In this case, “relieve” relates to redistribute.
Demanding that one is entitled to the redistribution of a nation’s wealth, merely because one wants gibs, is irrational. If person X entered into a lawful agreement to borrow money with which to attend school, and now claims that the government is responsible for person X’s behavior, this is not a logical argument.
Declaring, “Student loan relief is legal,” was a matter up to interpretation by the Supreme Court of the United States (U.S.)—and not one’s passionate, emotive, and irrational beliefs. In response to the nonsensical claim of forgibs, the Supreme Court has today ruled against such relief, stating in part:
[T]he Department’s decision to give other people relief under a different statutory scheme did not cause respondents not to obtain the benefits they want. The cause of their supposed injury is far more pedestrian than that: The Department has simply chosen not to give them the relief they want.
Regarding the Court’s decision, one source claims:
It was a resounding setback for President Biden, who had vowed to help borrowers “crawl out from under that mountain of debt.” More than 45 million people across the country owe $1.6 trillion in federal loans for college, according to government data, and the proposed debt cancellation, announced by Mr. Biden last summer, would have been one of the most expensive executive actions in U.S. history.
A president who perceivably attempts to buy votes by issuing false promises to perspective voters, in my opinion, not only commits an unjust action though also performs an act of cruelty by promoting false hope. For those who bought President Biden’s lie, perhaps it’s time to challenge your beliefs.
The government isn’t a replacement for a deity to whom you pray for wellbeing. It isn’t an entity to which you pledge allegiance and in turn receive your heart’s desires.
In various capacities, I’ve worked in and with the U.S. government. I am not a god, nor is President Biden. Moreover, I’ve peered behind the proverbial curtain of Oz and I know there isn’t a quick fix—no matter how illegal or unconstitutional—that can remedy complex problems of the U.S.
If you think you are upset in reference to the Supreme Court’s decision, it isn’t the decision itself with which you disturb yourself. Rather, it’s your rigid belief about the decision that leads to unpleasant consequences.
Instead of deceiving yourself, thus upsetting yourself with nonsensical beliefs, why not try something else? Why not think rationally about foolish appeals to emotion offered by governmental figures who never had the power to forgive your debt in the first place?
Yesterday, I posted a blog entry entitled Ready for the Holler, addressing the Supreme Court’s decision to have struck down bigoted affirmative action policy, stating:
From time to time, my late stepmom used a saying she apparently learned from her dad. She’d say, “Throw a rock over a fence and the dog you hit will holler,” and now that the rock has been thrown, I’m ready for the holler.
I then observed authoritarian-leaning politicians, legacy media self-styled journalists and pundits, social media so-called influencers, desperate celebrities, and opinionated others holler with disdain for the system of checks and balances established within our nation.
Today, I suspect that since another rock has been tossed over the proverbial fence, there will be barking. When unmet demands from preposterous beliefs do not result in desired action, the affected will holler.
Since forgibs weren’t granted—and I’m truly glad that the U.S. hasn’t continued with the financial redistributive behavior which has been the norm for the past few years—I imagine there will be hollering and howling abound. You, dear reader, don’t have to bark with others.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
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De Vogue, A. (2023, June 30). Why the ruling on Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan could have legal implications beyond debt relief. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/supreme-court-decisions-06-30-23/index.html
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