Don’t be so surprised that people don’t act grateful for welfare. Being on welfare equals dependency. Dependency breeds self-contempt. Self-contempt is deflected back onto whoever one is dependent on. Resentment of the government is fueled because on some level, the recipient sees of the government as being pathetic for giving out cash so easily.
Think of it this way. A schoolyard bully can, and does, extort lunch money from weaker kids. He can’t, and doesn’t, extort money from strong kids. If you give him money, then you are by definition one of the weak kids. He will expect more tomorrow, but it won’t buy his friendship. He views you as pathetic. His evidence? The very fact that you are giving him money in the first place!
The expression “biting the hand that feeds you” wouldn’t even exist if the phenomena weren’t so natural.
In another context, it also explains the existence of indugent parents having resentful teenagers.
