‘Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer,’ said the late, great Maya Angelou.
It’s a very wise entreaty that sadly appears completely lost on most people these days, as the world’s most pampered generation whines and moans its way through day after day of seething resentment, rampant jealousy and incessant offense-taking.
The rise of social media has made ingratitude almost a badge of honor, something to be aggressively pursued and celebrated.
It’s no longer acceptable to be thankful for small mercies.
Now, we must stamp our manicured feet like whiny little brats until we get exactly what we want, when we want it – and destroy, cancel and shame anyone who dares to challenge us.
This shockingly selfish philosophy is fueled by ego-mad celebrities from all walks of life, whose sense of entitlement knows no bounds and whose tolerance of the word ‘no’ knows no start.
These self-aggrandizing malcontents are seemingly oblivious to the fact that they lead some of the most privileged lives in the history of Planet Earth.
As we head into Thanksgiving, I thought it might be timely to remind ten of the worst offenders of just how lucky they are.
1) CHRISSY TEIGEN The impossibly irritating and talentless spouse of John Legend is the very epitome of intolerant woke self-aggrandizement – bleating incessantly away about everything from President Trump to her constant ‘anxiety’ and period blotch-marks.
Chrissy Teigen: A spoiled oversharing tacky brat who needs a firm reminder that she won the marital lottery when she seduced one of America’s biggest pop stars
It’s all shameless self-promotion for me-me-me Ms Teigen, a spoiled oversharing tacky brat who needs a firm reminder that she won the marital lottery when she seduced one of America’s biggest pop stars – instantly propelling herself into a dream world of glitzy premieres, magazine covers, Ferraris and mansions.
Yet still she whines, about everything. A period of dignified silence from this insufferably smug specimen over the holidays would be enough to make all of us truly thankful.
2) MEGHAN MARKLE If anyone got even luckier than Ms Teigen, it’s Ms Markle. Imagine marrying a handsome prince, and suddenly having a life of unimaginable luxury in the British Royal Family that includes vast palatial homes the public pays for, servants to tend to your every whim, chauffeurs to ferry you anywhere you like, private jets to avoid the hell of normal air travel, and cozy lunches with the Queen?
You’d think such a person might thank God every night for their lucky bloody stars. But no, Meghan’s absolutely livid, because the beastly press keeps calling her out on her rank hypocrisy.
Meghan Markle: Give heartfelt thanks for all the trappings of the stupendously lavish life you now enjoy that you’ve so desperately craved since you posed excitedly outside Buckingham Palace as a teenager
Only she could have spent a week in South Africa, meeting some of the most impoverished people in the world, and then make a TV documentary about the trip in which she revealed the real victim was herself because nobody ever asks if she’s OK…. Meghan, compared to 99.99999% of the population, you’re definitely OK. Seriously. So zip the moaning, and give heartfelt thanks for all the trappings of the stupendously lavish life you now enjoy that you’ve so desperately craved since you posed excitedly outside Buckingham Palace as a teenager.
Robert De Niro: Time to take a thankful chill pill, Bob – the ‘angry De Niro’ shtick got boring years ago
3) ROBERT DE NIRO The world’s grumpiest actor seems to spend his entire waking life in a state of violent apoplexy, usually spewing enraged venom about how much he wants to beat up Donald Trump as he promotes his new Netflix movie The Irishman.
He’s got millions in the bank, and a fan base so forgiving it even stayed with him after The Intern. Yet he snarls through talk show appearances, growls mono-syllabically in media interviews, and generally behaves like he’s got a red-hot poker stuck up his backside.
Time to take a thankful chill pill, Bob – the ‘angry De Niro’ shtick got boring years ago.
Prince Andrew: The British public are a very forgiving bunch (just ask his ex-wife Fergie!) and Andrew remains hugely rich without any financial need to try to seek any real job
4) PRINCE ANDREW I know, I know, things don’t look great for the Queen’s supposedly favorite son after she had to fire him over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
In a disastrous BBC interview, Andrew made himself look so stupid, deluded and disingenuous that he’s been stripped of all his royal duties and rendered a princely pariah. BUT, the British public are a very forgiving bunch (just ask his ex-wife Fergie!) and Andrew remains hugely rich without any financial need to try to seek any real job.
He also retains the title ‘His Royal Highness’, which means we commoners have to continue formally bowing and scraping to him, and he gets to keep many of the free privileges that go with being the Queen’s son. Basically, Andrew can now play his beloved golf all day, party all night, and not have to turn out for any tedious royal public engagements. Some would see this as a great result, so dry your tears Your Royal Highness and feel thankful.
5) DONALD TRUMP If you listen to the President, and we don’t have much choice given how much his voice dominates the global airwaves, the whole world’s out to get him. Trump’s Twitter feed is often an extended daily diatribe of wallowingly petty self-pity, intended to make us feel sorry for the multi-billionaire with the beautiful wife who currently holds down the most powerful job on earth and lives at the White House.
Donald Trump: You’ve got the whole world talking about you 24/7, which for any narcissist is the equivalent of Utopia. Be thankful
Donald, a word of advice, from a mate: stick a fork in the woe-is-me act, because nobody’s buying it. You’ve got the whole world talking about you 24/7, which for any narcissist is the equivalent of Utopia. Be thankful.
Hillary Clinton: Take your toys, put them back in the stroller, and shut the **** up about how unfair it all is that Trump’s doing what you spent your entire adult life planning to do
6) HILLARY CLINTON I can’t take any more whining from the world’s worst loser. Nobody but Hillary cares any more that she ‘won the popular vote’ because THAT’S NOT HOW YOU WIN THE DAMN ELECTION.
So, my message to the scowling seether is this: take your toys, put them back in the stroller, and shut the **** up about how unfair it all is that Trump’s doing what you spent your entire adult life planning to do.
If you’d shown one single ounce of humility during the 2016 campaign and resisted the temptation to brand all Trump voters ‘deplorables’, you might have won. But you still have a lot to be thankful for, not least the fact you get to tour the world on your never-ending loser tour, and wake up with Bill Clinton, the smartest and most charming US politician I’ve ever met.
7) JAMEELA JAMIL Where do I even start with the woman who makes even Chrissy Teigen look shy and retiring? This self-styled ‘activist’ rants away like a spitting snake at anyone and anything that doesn’t fit her narrow, fun-devoid, absurdly politically correct world view.
She’s so woke I’m amazed she ever sleeps, virtue-signalling her self-righteous thoughts on Twitter in such a vile, abusive way that it makes a mockery of her supposed concern for everyone’s mental health.
Jameela Jamil: Pipe down dear, and be thankful that anyone even tolerates your fraudulent nonsense and that Americans are so liable to mistake a nice British accent for brains
The stench of sanctimony seeps from every pore, but that doesn’t stop Ms Jamil from lecturing us all day long about how to lead our lives – when she’s not reminding us constantly about how awful her own life is, as a multi-millionaire actress.
Pipe down dear, and be thankful that anyone even tolerates your fraudulent nonsense and that Americans are so liable to mistake a nice British accent for brains.
8) THE KARDASHIANS Yes, all of them… and the Jenners. It should go without saying that when you make billions from a TV show featuring you all whining about your vacuous, talentless lives, it might be nice if one of you took one second from your intense self-adoration and dollar-counting to actually realize how lucky you are.
The Kardashians: You craved fame like ravenous hyenas and surrendered privacy when you invited cameras to film every second of your insipid little lives. So suck it up, sisters, and give thanks for the fact that somehow, inexplicably, you’re all still getting away with it
No family in history has ever got so rich through so little ability other than shameless self-promotion. It therefore follows that I really don’t want to hear a single word from any of you about the ‘pressures of fame’, or your newfound desire for ‘privacy’.
You craved fame like ravenous hyenas and surrendered privacy when you invited cameras to film every second of your insipid little lives. So suck it up, sisters, and give thanks for the fact that somehow, inexplicably, you’re all still getting away with it.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Her high-pitched nasal screeching, driven by a seemingly permanent state of high-octane angst, grates through my soul like a million fingernails scraping on chalkboard
9) ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ The leader of The Squad is furious today, as she is every day. Her torment comes from having to deal with the world’s myriad injustices that eat away at her like a flesh-eating bug. Or that’s what she would have us believe, anyway.
The reality is that Ms Ocasio-Cortez has gone from bartender to political superstar liberal darling in just three years, despite being one of the least qualified people to ever enter Congress. And secretly, she’s so happy about this that she wants to explode.
Ocasio-Cortez is undeniably bright and has proven herself to be a very effective cross-examiner when she’s sat on various House committees. But her high-pitched nasal screeching, driven by a seemingly permanent state of high-octane angst, grates through my soul like a million fingernails scraping on chalkboard.
This firebrand socialist should be thankful not just for the $3,000 dresses that magazines now put her in for numerous covers, not to mention her $600 haircuts, but also for the fact nobody has yet arrested her for causing a perpetual breach of the peace.
10) KANYE WEST Unlike my other ingrates, Kanye IS thankful – but to himself, when he looks in the mirror, for being so perfect in every way. It would be nice if just once, he could also be thankful to someone else.
Kanye West: Kanye IS thankful – but to himself, when he looks in the mirror, for being so perfect in every way