The Blame Game

We see it all the time. The recent fallout in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is a great example. What do we hear, day after day, from people charged with protecting the citizenry? "It's not my fault." Depending on who is doing the talking, it's the mayor's fault, the governor's fault, FEMA's fault or the president's fault. It's The Blame Game.

Whose fault is it really? Maybe it is the voters' fault for electing these people.

Here in Canada, we have our own set of blamers. The situation is epidemic. No-one accepts responsibility for anything. Nothing is anyone's fault.

I won't even let my son get away with this nonsense. Maybe that is where it all starts, when parents excuse the words and actions of their children. The kids then think that it is OK to blame someone else. It gets worse when, via our educational system, our social engineers tell us that we can't help what we are. We act according to our nature, they say.

Nonsense.

The reality is that everyone screws up. Usually, blame for something, anything, is shared. Rarely is something the fault of a single person. Rarely is something the fault of everyone. It is common to blame the 'other guy' for something, especially if it allows the blamer to shirk personal responsibility. When it isn't convenient to blame a single person, it somehow becomes everyone's fault. Blame society. If it can't reasonably be blamed on society, narrow it down. Blame your employer. Blame your school. Blame your neighbour. Blame your parents. Blame your spouse. Blame your children.

Let's stop playing the blame game. Whether it is with something as cataclysmic as Hurricane Katrina or as insignificant as who forgot to take out the garbage, the time and energy wasted in recriminations could be better spent helping the victims or taking a trip to the curb.