Holy Toledo
Once again the world was treated to live pictures of rioting, violence, and arson. Toledo, Ohio was the venue.
I sat down in front of the TV to watch the LSU game on Saturday. Everything was in its place; a cold beer and a bowl of chips. I flipped over to FOX before the game and watched IT all unfold. I saw morons running wild. They were running in and out of a building. The doors had been kicked in and the windows had been broken out. Moments later, the building was set ablaze.
Why?
That depends on who is talking.
Some would say because some Neo-Nazis planned a march in a black neighborhood. Others say it is because outside agitators came in to gin up the anger and racial tension to incite the violence. I heard the police were responsible because they did not move in soon enough to stop the mob.
I say those three explanations are bullsh*t. The people responsible for throwing rocks at an ambulance, running wild, and destroying a building are the people who did it.
If you do not like someone's free speech, you are not authorized to commit a crime. I think in grade school my teacher called that two wrongs don't make a right. Only in this case, it was not even two wrongs.
Personal responsibility is a forgotten concept. It is almost automatic to look elsewhere for a cause of some problem other than the person(s) that did it.
One place this philosophy of blame shifting is most evident is the courts. Defense attorneys and “slip and fall” lawyers have been using the law to shift blame for years. We have all heard of the outrageous cases:
• The bartender is responsible when a drunk driver kills someone in a car wreck.
• McDonalds is responsible when an idiot places hot coffee between their legs and burns their crotch.
• A homeowner is responsible when a burglar falls through his ceiling and hurts his back.
• Cigarette companies are to blame for people smoking.
• Fast food chains need to pay for making people fat.
• Schools are to blame when students do not learn.
Folks have been conditioned to expect a million dollars or more anytime they are inconvenienced or experience something bad. Even in Hurricane Katrina, I can see how people are trying to get their payoff.
If you are personally responsible you understand insurance, make good decisions about evacuating and so forth. If you are not personally responsible, you read your policy after the fact and expect your insurance company to make an exception for your stupidity. You blame someone for not feeding you when you ignore evacuation orders. (I am referring to people who could have left the city, but chose to stay, not those who had no way out.)
The blame game and responsibility shifting is evident in ridiculous warning labels. People have become so lazy and irresponsible, they buy a complicated piece of equipment, not read the instructions, and expect everything to somehow work fine.
People go to court and proclaim their ignorance to get a check.
"Your honor, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to stick the curling iron up my nose, there wasn't a warning label. I want a million dollars now because I look like Rudolph and it's not my fault."
"Your honor, how was I supposed to know to shut off the lawnmower before reaching underneath it. Now I have to learn to tie my shoes with one hand."
"The dog ate my homework," was a humorous way of saying it's not my fault when you really know it is. Today, I suppose we would put the dog to sleep and give Johnny tutors and another month to get his work done.
There is no hope for us as a people if we continue to blame something or someone for everything that goes wrong. Folks pass on the blame, then they feel justified in not changing their behavior, which caused the problem in the first place. In Toledo, it is easy to justify burning down a building if you think a Nazi march is to blame. Even ministers defend and explain away the illegal behavior that took place in Toledo. They need a refresher course at seminary.
An anger builds in people who blame others. If they really believe someone else is to blame, they turn into a victim. The good thing about accepting responsibility for your lot in life is you remain in control. "If I caused the mess OR if I am responsible for cleaning up the mess, I can do something about it." Taking responsibility is empowering.
Society and government have been bad parents. I had friends whose parents never held them responsible for their behavior. They always blamed the other kids if there was a dispute, and the teacher if they got a bad grade. This parental philosophy made them spoiled brats.
Those who are not personally responsible are all over the news with their bad behavior and their accomplices are the politicians, lawyers, and high profile idiots who condone it just because it helps make their political point.
It is simple really, we need to get back to basics. When a football team is losing, they go back to blocking and tackling. When a society gets out of whack, its citizens need to look no further than their own behavior.
Could you imagine the things we could do if we not only took personal responsibility, but we embraced other radical concepts like helping others, and giving to society; not just taking? It could happen; one decision at a time.
Until the next time
John Strain