People in this country are incredibly wealthy, by global standards, but most folks still sit on the pity pot and claim they're poor because they can't afford a big house or an H3 or a $200 pair of shoes or an iPhone. Whining about how unfair life is has definitely replaced sweat & creativity, in terms of getting the things we want in life.
Sadly, all the kids I know who are like this were clearly taught it by being handed everything by their parents. Money, cars, phones, insurance, college all grew on trees out back of the house, and then they complained about having to walk back there and pick 'em themselves.... Material things are how most parents say "I love you" so that's what kids take into adulthood. It's not the case 100% of the time, but often. And the poor kids? They STILL have a sense of entitlement -- "I didn't have it when I was growing up so I'm d*** well gonna have it now, no matter what it takes!" Welcome to the new generation.
There are some good books out there written by the Wall Street Journal types that talk about how to instill a sense of 'what money's worth' in kids. I think there's even a family column in that paper nowadays. Maybe it'll be something that catches on some day, like trying to teach kids to love themselves has caught on over time.
Hope so...