The Blame Game

Whatever happened to personal accountability? It seems as though our society has become a society of “blamers.” Everything bad that happens is someone else’s fault.

If I eat fast food five times a week and become obese, it’s the fast food company’s fault. If I smoke and get lung cancer, it’s the tobacco company’s fault. If I place a steaming hot cup of coffee between my thighs and then spill it on myself, it’s the store’s fault (how dare they make hot coffee)! If I get drunk in a bar and trip and break my leg going out the door, it's the bar and the wine company's fault (as well as the door-frame maker, the shoe-maker, and my parents for passing on the Clumsy Gene).

The parent blames the teacher for the student’s poor performance. The teacher blames the school system. The school system blames the Board of Education, and so on. The CEO blames the CFO, the CFO blames the auditors, the auditors blame the accounting department, etc.

We’ve become a society of finger-pointers. Whenever anything negative happens to us, we look for someone to blame, or worse, sue. The personal injury lawsuit phenomenon is a multi-billion dollar industry. What disturbs me the most is that we’re raising a generation of children into a world of “victim thinking.”

When we don't accept responsibility and our kids see that, then they think they don’t have to accept responsibility, and the cycle continues right up through the highest levels of our government.

What's going to happen if this trend continues to get worse? I don't know, but don't blame me when it happens.