Recent global trends bring to mind the popular children’s poem, “Mr Nobody” whose protagonist is responsible for every mischievous occurrence. In this case, though, the current fad is to place the blame on “Mr Somebody” instead of “Mr Nobody”. Allowing others take the fall appears preferable to facing the consequences of our actions or inactions.
For instance, the average overweight man or woman might make food companies the fall guy for selling unhealthy food or large food portions. Young people who flunk exams may hold the school system, their teachers or parents liable for their poor academic performance; everybody but themselves, overlooking their inability/unwillingness to apply themselves diligently to their studies.
The upsurge in murders and violent crimes has been attributed to everything from childhood abuse, parental neglect to anger at the government and the society as a whole. Nobody seems to consider it an outcome of the premeditated actions of a few people with self- esteem issues.
There is an increase in alcohol and tobacco addiction, hold the breweries and tobacco manufacturers responsible, therefore, ban advertising, include warning signs on packaging, set drink limits. However, with all these seemingly drastic measures, the population of addicts is on the rise.
Political leaders in developing countries faced with low economic growth are quick to pass the buck to developed economies rather than admit that corrupt practices and own ineptitude contribute to their failure. Bankers and governments have been vilified by the media as the major cause of the global financial crisis, while the people who ‘bit off more than they can chew’, due to availability of “cheap” funds, have been conveniently let off the hook. After all, the banks have a duty to ensure clients ‘borrow responsibly’ and the ‘poor’ people did not know any better.
Many illustrations of this “blame game” abound in the society. However, inasmuch as many are genuinely battling addictions and other psychological problems plaguing them through no fault of their own, there are also as many people who find themselves in this position due to deliberate choices made.
As long as we all continue to avoid taking ownership of our actions, a myriad of societal ills will continue unabated and measures taken to tackle them will be akin to treating the symptoms of a disease neglecting its root cause. Meanwhile, Mr Somebody continues to get the blame for all the world’s evils.
