Personal responsibility is lost.

It seems to be a trend in today’s society that we misplace blame. Parents especially tend to blame violent video games and music and the like, when they should be pointing their finger at their own chest.
I am not saying that there are influences out there, everyone has a multitude of information coming at them from all sides. Too often I see that an individual will get angry at another because they have failed to accept their own responsibility.
It angers me that this is propagated by the media and society at large. A glaring example is the law suits against McDonalds for an individuals obesity. I don’t contend that fast food is healthy but your choice to visit is YOURS. The claim of ignorance is also unfounded. Do not say “ they should have told me” say “I should have found out”.
Getting to the point,
Laws should not be made to protect an individual from themselves. But should protect the individual from others, and
So.
Legalize Marijuana and tax the hell out of it.
Legalize, physically addictive (hard) drugs and make them available at distribution centers that can better help addicts. Often drug addiction stems from deeper issues.
Legalize prostitution, and provide control to eliminate rape, disease, and pimping from the sex industry.
Stop censorship, there exists today technology to protect children. I think that a parents responsibility to educate children will better prepare them to deal with the situations that are inevitably going to confront them. I believe that sheltering children from the realities of life (drugs, sex ect.) only serves to make those things more enticing and exciting to them.

For tips on how to become more personally responsible visit;
www.coping.org...

The Dutch would like it very much if the 'rest of the western countries' would follow their example. The reason being that, even though their liberal breakthroughs have led to the decline of interest among themselves of those types of freedoms, it has also had the negative effect of the 'wrong type of touristm', particularly in downtown Amsterdam.

(Back me up on this, Hollanders...I'm going on 15 year old memories.)

It would really decrease the numbers of squatters, for instance, if all the surrounding countries had the same laws.

Nice post, Halfofone...sure to generate a bit of discussion...

Misplaced blame...there is the growing trend of victimizing the perpetrator, looking for 'reasons to criminal behaviour'...there's tons of them to use and the proof is all conjecture.

Now, don't get me wrong, this happens...people's minds get twisted by their circumstances, but it's getting to be a rather handy excuse.

It all boils down to taking responsibility for our intentions...we all personally need to look at 'why' we do the things that 'we're not proud of', (euphemism intended)

Yes, the reason he went and killed 15 people was because he played doom. Not my fault for not teaching him he dif. between real life and fake. Not my fault that when he was building bombs and telling me how he was gonna kill people I just said uh huh don't bother me I'm doing my nails. Not my fault when he told me a kid at school kept bullying him I told him to suck it up instead of doing my job as a parent and go talk to the parents of the bully.

Not my fault my ass fills three rows at a movie theater, they sold me popcorn with butter, it's the fault of the people who sold me the food.

Not my fault I slipped and fell in an area that said caution, wet floor, so now I am gonna sue the store.

Know what happened 30 years ago when a kid misbehaved? Parents beat them and were embarressed that the kid did something like that for it reflected on their parenting skills. Nowadays? They send the kid to time out for 15 minutes and call the lawyer to sue MTV or VH1 or whoever else for their kids misbehaving. Hell, 13 years ago if I screwed up got smacked on the butt and told not to do it again. Guess what? I didn't do it again cause it freaking hurt to sit afterwards. Oh no, don't make me sit in a corner for 15 minutes or Oh no, don't spank me again. What is more of a deterant? No punishment or a good punishment?

Originally posted by masqua
The Dutch would like it very much if the 'rest of the western countries' would follow their example. The reason being that, even though their liberal breakthroughs have led to the decline of interest among themselves of those types of freedoms, it has also had the negative effect of the 'wrong type of touristm', particularly in downtown Amsterdam.

A good point.
It is a constant strugle to find the 'perfect' government, one that will alienate the least yet protect the mass ideology. The nature of society is that is forever changing. I would have to admit that 'conserving' some core values is a very good thing, and is a cornerstone to healthy culture, but so is discovering new and better ways. I feel it is better to learn from a few mistakes than become stagnent in rigid conservatism.
I grow tired of the left/right debate, and I do not perscribe to either strictly, for life requires balance, even in politics.
One often finds that life would be infinitely easier if everyone just thought the same way. But then again, that would be pretty boring, peacefull, but boring.

Thank you masqua for the kind words. I was expecting a little backlash from the right to say the least. But hey it's still early.

BRAVO! BRAVO!!!!!
I have been wanting to say the same thing for years, but was worried about the "PC" of it. You hit the nail on the head Awsome post. I'm just wondering now how everyone else feels about you're comments.

Hurray for personal resposibility and those who practice it!!!

I am sick and tired of people who always say that it was someone else's fault. Some of the lawsuits that are spawned by this behavior are just too much. They lead companies to put the most interesting warnings on their products.

McDonalds coffee cups now warn us that the coffee is hot. Anyone who has ever had coffee before already knows this. We would compain if it weren't hot.

My iron says to remove my clothing before attempting to iron it. You know that at some point some moron burned him/herself and blamed the company that made the iron.

I would be embarassed to no end to go before a judge and claim that I didn't know my coffee was hot, or that I thought I could iron my shirt while I was wearing it. These people must have some serious responsibility issues to even have the nerve to try it.

Irons say that? Damn. Like silica gel packs say do not eat. No freaking duh. But people are stupid, humanity is smart, people are stupid and should be shot. Gee I didn't know I wasn't suppose to drink bleach.

To keep this post going I will post few Questions.

How have we gotten this way?
I don't belive that it is entirely human natrue. In my experiance I have found that I am harder upon myself than others are. Offten I will rationalize my actions to aleviate some guilt, but I am the first to admit my own stupidity.
So, have we become conditioned to find fault in others? Is there a force that has engineered this behavior, or at least encouraged it, for some evil purpose? I belive strongly that the prison economy is a major force keeping the laws protectiong us from ourselves alive.
Please read;
Prison Economy

How do we fix things?
Real change starts with education, but beyond that, I think that we need to become more aware of the fact that individualism is destroying life as we know it. Money is not the root of all evil, selfishness is.

The American dream is not working, the gap between rich and poor is ever expanding. Whenever I ask this question I find myself saying "we should live more spiritual lives". I have come to the conculsion that the begining of the end of humanity was the destruction of the native way of life. The seperation of humanity from the universe/nature is the cause of all of societies 'problems'. If we realised that we and the universe are one then personal resposibility would come as natural as breathing.

Thoughts?

[edit on 8-2-2005 by Halfofone]

There was a certain type of thinking for over 40 years, mainly displayed by the so-called 'democratic party'. If one looks back, this PC attitude really came into effect in the '90's. I also feel that alot of the 'it's your fault, not mine' happened in that decade. Political correctness has gotten out of control. It just feels that everyone (vast majority) wants everything for free and not have to work for it. I also blame LAWYERS, for they are the ones who support and bring these friviouls suits. Case in point:

Right now there is a woman who was listening to her 14 yr daughters hone converstaion with her 18 yr boyfriend. He talked about how he commited a mugging. The mother turned him in. Now after a lawyer got involved, the mothers testimony was thrown out because it was was considered evesdropping, nevermind that there was a crime invloved.

One can't even displine their children anymore without the threat of the children being taken away. I received actual punishment growing up.....now you run the risk of trouble by just slapping their hand.

Another ridiculous suit going on in NJ.......in school papers are marked with red marker.......now lawers have gotten invloved stating: 'red marks on paper hurt the children......" WTF?!?!?!?!?!

I see where you are comming from but I would have to disagree with your assertion that the democratic party, or librals are somehow at fault. Being PC has gotten out of hand I admit, but that has little to do with libralism. I would contend that many conservatives espouse an extrem anti-PC view that is not helping anything either. We have become so individualistic that we are destroying society. We are so busy fighting each other over minute points of order that we cannot see that freedom and life are being taken from us.
You are right about wanting something for nothing, that has become a slogan of sorts for what I call the Reality T.V. junkies, that care more about watching real life than living it.

Legalize Marijuana and tax the hell out of it.
Legalize, physically addictive (hard) drugs and make them available at distribution centers that can better help addicts. Often drug addiction stems from deeper issues.
Legalize prostitution, and provide control to eliminate rape, disease, and pimping from the sex industry.
Stop censorship, there exists today technology to protect children. I think that a parents responsibility to educate children will better prepare them to deal with the situations that are inevitably going to confront them. I believe that sheltering children from the realities of life (drugs, sex ect.) only serves to make those things more enticing and exciting to them.

right on man. My sentiments exactly!

Great Post.
Everyones the victum. Mcdonalds made me fat it was Grand theft auto that made me shoot that kid. Blah Blah Blah.

I have been in so many discussions on this and people never want to take resonsability for their actions.

The worst part is, if some jerk shoots someone and says he saw it in a video game, or a TV show then some people want to ban it.

I LOVE that website!!! It is representative of all the things my Dad taught my brother and I growing up and the way I'm trying to raise my children. I'm going to forward it to all the whiney people that I know.

It really doesn't help the situation when playground equipment is ripped out because a child might not figure out how to get off a merry-go-round without getting a bruised leg. Or jacks aren't allowed in school because a child wasn't paying attention and kneeled on one so her parents blamed the school and filed a law suit. These worry-warts and lawsuit filing morons are making it almost impossible to teach a child common sense let alone personal responsibility!

Thanks Halfofone for the great post!

Jemison

Originally posted by Halfofone
A glaring example is the law suits against McDonalds for an individuals obesity. I don’t contend that fast food is healthy but your choice to visit is YOURS. The claim of ignorance is also unfounded. Do not say “ they should have told me” say “I should have found out”.

Still the longest civil law suit in legal history (9.5 years), and with the two protestors scoring another victory today in the civil rights case that now proves they should have been provided with legal aid, McLibel brought much to bear on this issue:

1. McDonalds are now required by most countries to specify the nutrional values and fat contents of all their meals - ask at your local, if you ever stoop to visit.

2. McDonalds in many other countries is restricted in terms of ad placements for any ads using pester power as the marketing technique (ie directing children to influence their parents to visit McDonalds with flashy imagery and clowns and toys).

McDonalds as a food provider has always provided crud and marketed it to children who do not even know what "obesity" is with the aim to progress a proportion of them to lifelong custom. To run a real estate business as McDonalds does, requires a huge volume of pedestrian traffic and food and comfort are basic needs to drive uninfomred consumers through its doors.

Thanks every one.

Masked,
Ads such as McDonalds disgusts me, but there are a few problems I have with civil suits in cases like this.

The plaintiffs' children had eaten at McDonald's between three and five time a week between 1987 and 2002

We cannot be sure that the childs obesity is not adversly effected by the home diet. I'm sure that they are not eating 'healthy' at home if they visit
3-5 times a week! for 15 years!

he still dismissed the claim because of a lack of causal connection between the food and the injuries, saying the complaint did not answer such questions as "What else did the plaintiffs eat?" and "How much did they exercise?" and "Is there a family history of the diseases which are alleged to have been caused by McDonald's products?"

If you do not know what is in the food that you are eating 3-5 times a week for 15 years, you find out. If you are not able to get reliable information on what you are putting into your body, then start eating something that you can. It is your body, and your child's!!! Nobody force feed them. I'm sure there are other resturants in the area. I just don't see how anybody can think that hamburger, fries loded with salt, and a suger filled pop is going to be healthy!

Also don't people have control of their children. I would beg for McDonalds(not anymore) but I wouldn't get it everytime. Once or twice a month isn't going to make you obese.

Suit Revived