People who live in Las Vegas are often seen as unfriendly to guests. It has a fairly basic reason that can be extrapolated from this microcosm into the nation at large. Whereas other cities draw tourism for something or some experience, Vegas is the only city that was originally founded to be a money pit. Sure, there are now restaurants, trips, shows, etc., and you can even 'see the sights' as it were if you're willing to go FAR from McCarran International, but originally, Vegas was a get rich quick scheme, and it shows.
Many people come to Vegas believing themselves to be kings. They fly in, flash their wads of cash, play it up like big shots, and all boast about how they're going to be the one who beats the system, breaks the house, and goes home wealthier than the dreams of avarice. Many of them look down on the people who live and work here, dropping 'crumbs' to the services industry in the form of tips. They believe themselves to be better than we are, and they are all convinced of it.
Most of them leave as beggars, having lost their shirts. The problem is that the arrogance does not vanish with their fortunes. They still think that, although they are the ones who took the risk, they can expect Vegans to bear responsibility for their loss. You can sometimes see them out there with their cardboard signs begging for change to get home after they lost it all. Then when we drive by they spit at us in disgust and say we are heartless.
Vegas Syndrome affects the nation at large. There are people out there who really believe that they can take the risks and that other people will, should, and must pay for it. I didn't have any say in when, where, or how frequently you sired children. I didn't have any say in your chemical dependencies, eating disorders, chemical exposure, risky sports endeavors, risky business ventures, or bad debt, and yet I am, as a taxpayer, expected to foot the bill. When I don't, you look at me like I'm stingy or greedy or in cahoots with 'the rich'. I drive a rassafrassin Saturn, clean my own house, pay my own bills, and do my own shopping. Stop pretending I am coddling the rich as if we're somehow in cahoots. Coincidental proximity to a casino does not mean I endorse or involve myself in their industry or exploits.
I heard the Prime Minister of Britain say something about the London Riots that I have been saying for some time. He mentioned the rioters were up in a huff about rights without any thought about attendant responsibilities. When you treat your goods and life as if it were a trip to Vegas, you cannot justly, legally, or in good conscience expect other people to foot the bill. You took the risk; the consequences come with it. People think they have a right to health care, retirement, unemployment 'compensation', etc., and that people who are not involved, however rich they might be, ought to pay for it. While I understand there are people who have legitimate needs for help through no fault of your own, if you dug your own ditch or have a shovel and refuse to dig out, why am I obligated to help you? That's a mental disorder.
Those of us who live in this city who do not depend directly on casinos for our livelihood generally avoid it. I do not subscribe to the notion that doing the wrong thing is better than doing nothing. When you insist on doing something, that is all about you. Physicians learn to first do no harm. If you have any doubt at all, don't. That has kept me safely off the strip and out of the casinos, and it will help keep you out of any harm that isn't brought your way by other people in your life.
In the end, we're all beggars. We depend on one another. It is however a crime to steal something from me, even if the government is an intermediary, and even if the courts sanction it, so that you can benefit. It's ok to ask. Maybe I'll actually have some change for you. You can always hope.
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