When I was growing up, I conveniently blamed my brother for my own mishaps. From a spilled drink, to a broken glass, to paint on the wall, you name it -- it was his fault, not my mine. This was particularly easy in the beginning, since my brother was significantly younger than I, and unable to match my “mastery” of the English language. However, as time went by, and his speech ability surfaced, my blame shifting became increasingly difficult. I have little doubt that this is a common story among siblings, whose attempts to escape responsibility and parental ire often result in the “blame game”.
Nevertheless, the humor of such a story is fleeting when the participants of the blame game reach adulthood, and are full aware of the consequences of their actions. The adage “With age comes wisdom...” clearly doesn’t apply to everyone, as countless individuals spanning multiple generations continue to evade with the skill of a prizefighter, the burden of responsibility -- and attorneys stand frothing in their corner. Smokers, claiming they were unaware of the ill effects of smoking, shamelessly volley responsibility to tobacco firms whose pocket depths were clearly visible to these so-called ‘victims’. Fast-food patrons, who have suddenly found displeasure in their increasing waist size, do not find fault with their food selection or incessant hand-to-mouth motion – but rather accuse fast food restaurants of making them “horizontally-challenged”.
A dozen alcoholics in Edinburgh, Scotland have created a European version of the blame game, in which they plan to file a lawsuit against drink makers for not warning them about the dangers of alcohol. Soon, we will be hearing about crack and heroin addicts suing needle manufacturers and drug dealers for not putting warning labels on needles and crack pipes. This may sound silly on its surface, but so did suing tobacco companies not long ago. It is obvious, however, that laughter is not the intended consequence of such litigation, as the abdication of responsibility has become a profitable business here in America.
It would be easy to lay all of the blame for these insidious lawsuits on the plaintiffs and their attorneys. However, the judges who instead of dismissing such cases in light of their blatant frivolity and allow cases to be adjudicated by sympathetic jurors, are also culpable participants. The real victims in these cases are not the feckless smokers, over-eaters, or alcoholics who file such lawsuits – instead, they are the average American consumer, worker, and society in general who will be affected by higher prices, job losses, and an incapacitated legal system.
Few, if any of those who claim little or no responsibility for their choices and actions even recognize or care about the rapaciousness of these extortionary lawsuits. On the contrary, it is far easier to shift responsibility to those who can afford to pay for reckless behavior. Tobacco and fast-food are just the beginning of a potential laundry list of industries that will have to fend off the litigious onslaught from those who lack sound judgment and/or self-control. Moreover, there is no shortage of attorneys willing to upgrade to the next version of the blame game.
| Sean Turner Sean Turner is a member of the Project 21 Advisory Council of the National Center for Public Policy Research, a regular columnist for RenewAmerica.us and a contributor to a number of conservative political websites. Readers can email him at Sean Turner. |