Put the blame on......

S

shotgun

New member
Let's see if I understand the state of personal responsibility in America in the last 20 years.

If a woman burns her thighs on the hot coffee she was holding in her lap while driving, she blames the restaurant.

If your teen-age son kills himself, you blame the rock 'n' roll musician he liked.

If you smoke three packs a day for 40 years and die of lung cancer your family blames the tobacco company.

If your daughter gets pregnant by the football captain you blame the school for poor sex education.

If your neighbor crashes into a tree while driving home drunk, you blame the bartender.

If your cousin gets AIDS because the needle he used to shoot heroin was dirty, you blame the government for not providing clean ones.

If your grandchildren are brats without manners, you blame television.

And, if your friend is shot by a deranged madman, you blame the gun manufacturer.

And, if a crazed person breaks into the cockpit and tries to kill the pilots at 35,000 feet, and the passengers kill him
instead, the mother of the deceased blames the airline.

God bless America, land of the free, home of the blame


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Howler,

Those are in fact all "whole" truths, nothing that shotgun stated is false. Everything in his post has, and probably still is happening.

Ryan

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howler????????

I don't get it?

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“No man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms, is as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”
Thomas Jefferson, June 1776
 
I originally put this up as a point to begin a philosophical discussion regarding the lack of personal responsibility and accountability prevalent in this country.

Actual facts may work better for some rather than esoteric, philosophical points.

There are at least 13 cities in this country suing firearms manufacturers - blaming them for the crime and violence in the cities.

There are currently in excess of 1300 legislative bills being presented in federal and state legislatures that are intended to limit firearm ownership and use - blaming guns, ammunition, gun owners for the violence in the cities and schools.

There are currently in excess of 250 legislative bills being presented in federal and state legislatures that are intended to to close shooting ranges - blaming them for environmental destruction and a danger to the general population.

There are currently in excess of 450 legislative bills being presented in federal and state legislatures that are intended to limit or eliminate access to hunting land and to limit or eliminate many forms of hunting - blaming blood thirsty hunters, and drunken, irresponsible sportsmen for the violence and destruction caused by firearms.

It's all relative and I was using some simple thoughts to show the general trend to find blame in others rather than take personal responsibility for yourself and yours. In the case of the coffee, yes there are lots of people that spill coffe on themselves, including me. But, it took at least 16 people ("victim", lawyer(s), judge, and 12 people on the jury) to make a simple isue into a national case and a million dollar settlement.

It can indeed be overwhelming when you actually line up the facts about how stupid, irresponsible, and uneducated the general population is in reality. And they are some of the people that hold our future in their hands.

Maybe that is why most media is directed to a 5th grade education level population?

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[This message has been edited by shotgun (edited 05-16-2001).]
 
Shotgun . . .

You post was an eye-opener to me...
All the incidents you mentioned are taking place, or have happened in the past.

It's sad, but true!

Sure makes one wonder what ever happened to common sense?

Your post is well written and provides a dose of reality to those that read it.

A job well done...
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http://www.predatormasters.com

[This message has been edited by AzWill (edited 05-17-2001).]
 
Shotgun,

Your original post is all to true, and may hit to close to home for the comfort of some. We are not alone in this world; we have only to look at a few other countries to see where we are headed. Sweden for example, where the population is cared for by their government "from the cradle to the grave"; if you can afford to live there!
 
I guess I only have a problem with two of the examples, the tobacco companies have known for decades that smoking causes cancer, they hid the information from the public, they promoted tobacco to kids knowing full well if we can hook them young we have a customer for life, these companies decieved the public and the now they have to pay, I don't feel sorry for them one bit.

the other problem I have is the bartender dose know the guy is way to drunk to drive, but keeps on selling him alcohol, I am not talking about the guy who stops in for a quick one and then gets involved in an accident, I'm talking about the guy who made a night of it, I know its not the bartenders fault becasue the guys wants to get souced, but if he is willing to take his money all night and then turn loose a real menace on the streets well that don't seem right to me
 
Any thinking person knows tobacco will harm them.

Any thinking person knows drinking and then driving is potentially deadly.

Let us not abrogate our personal responsibilities by claiming that someone else, even those profit-motivated, should look after us when we do some stupid thing that may cause us harm.

Blaming others for our actions leads to all sorts of irrational thinking (such as sueing gun manufacturers because a gun was used in a crime).

Leave responsibility where it belongs.... on the individual who acts in a dumb manner.

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Critr

LW42144.jpg

www.SaguaroSafaris.com
 
Amen, Critr Gitr. Take responsibility for your own actions, whether they have positive results or negative. Reminds me of what my mom used to tell me about the birds and the bees and not being safe: you play, you pay. Folks have to realize that everything we do in life has consequences. It is up to each one us to be prepared to deal with them, not pass the buck (or try to make a quick buck).

[This message has been edited by DesertRam (edited 05-17-2001).]
 
You hear it all the time: "Well, I didn't know". In court, the judge says, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse". Out on the street, I say, "Ignorance of life is no excuse".
When someone takes on the responsibility of drinking and driving, they also assume the consequences of that responsibility. Smoking is exactly the same thing. It was public information 40 years ago that smoking caused cancer. All kinds of cancer, not just lung. The AMA didn't try to suppress the findings. 25 years ago the warnings were put on the cigarette packs. That was good enough for me. I quit. But my Dad didn't. He didn't want to believe it and made excuses for smoking. He died of four different kinds of cancer, every one of them terminal. I could NEVER blame the tobacco companies for his death. It was his own stubborn stupidity that killed him. The fact that heroin is illegal and tobacco is not, is OUR fault. The responsible, voting, citizens of this country allow legal access to one kind of poison and deny access to another equally deadly one. Go figure. Could this be considered a "Right to die" issue?
 
I really am sorry if I offended or affronted anyone with this thread.

My intent was to provoke some dialog, get different points of view, and discuss one of those "subjects" that we always seem to want to avoid. I do not think that we can ever come to resolution, let alone an understanding, if we do not discuss these subjects.

NASA-you bring up a specific point that I wasn't going to go into, but....Yes the government, the tobaco industry, and the health industry has known about the "attributes" of smoking for a long-long time.

Now my question is: that while in SEA in the 60's, I received numerous packs of free cigarettes from the American Red Cross, and more from the U S Military - SO if the tobacco industry is liable, are they as liable as the tobacco industry? Are they accessories to murder and genocide?

Please let's not go there, but it is thought provoking isn't it?

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No offense taken here. I really like your sense of awareness. I hope you decide to go to the hunt in Tucson. I'd be proud to shake your hand, too.
 
NASA:

I am, we will, and me too!

I am also going to track down, Crittr, Will, Craig, Wiley, Randy, and 100 others....

there are only two problems, I need some time to hunt critters, and I will have to shake left handed because I do not want to wear out my trigger finger....hehehe

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[This message has been edited by shotgun (edited 05-17-2001).]
 
Amen shotgun! We need some good judges in this country to tell people in their courts to wake up and take responsibility for their actions. Dang, it makes me mad.
Hell I cut my hand today with my pocket knife. Do I sue the knife maker or Smith's for making such a good whetstone?
Take responsibility for your own actions. Don't rely on other people to do it for you!
I can't believe that people would think smoke going into their lungs wasn't bad.
If you can't turn down that last drink, don't go to the bar.
If you don't have sense enough to pour piss out of your boots, then stay at home.

AAAUGH!!!
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Howler, this is not directed toward you in any means, I can see your point, sorta'.

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Bye y'all
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B. Pierce
 
No offence shotgun,
You have to remember people that in the 50's and 60's the information about smoking being harmful was only known by the tobacco companies, the information was not out there like today, Most people thought that smoking would cause shortness of breath and thats about all, cancer what is that

I agree today ignorance is no excuse, but then maybe you will buy a peice of land and build a house only to find out it use to be a toxic waste site and your wife and kids are now sick, your lifes dream now worthless, who you gonna blame, yourself??

like I said before (in so many words) there is generally much more to placing blame
 
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