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Sunday, January 08, 2012

The Issue of Fault

Today, I find myself, as I often do on Sundays, in a reflective mood. Actually, for the past week, I've been ruminating on the issue of fault and trying to figure out how conservatives, generally speaking, really have their head up their collective asses when it comes to that age old question, "Who's to blame?" If someone is poor and struggling to make end's meet, it's their fault. As GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum said recently, "People die in America because people die in America. And people make poor decisions with respect to their health and their healthcare. And they don’t go to the emergency room or they don’t go to the doctor when they need to."

So, when someone gets sick or simply can't pay bills, it's all their fault. They made stupid choices which led them to that point, so fuck 'em. Or, it's somehow the fault of the government. The nanny state has led them to believe that they will be cared for or some federal program has been an impediment in their lives and they are forced into submission with the result being a negative outcome.

In sum, the fault is with the person or the government.

Yet the collection of individuals (family, friends, community) or the people that make up the various private concerns that have a direct relation to a person's life are NEVER EVER at fault. Even though health care firms, insurance companies, gas and electric companies, groceries, restaurants, and other organizations have a direct impact on our lives, they are never at fault. It's as if individuals operate in a vacuum. And, regardless of the evidence gathered thus far, climate change is not the fault of mankind. It's simply a natural part of the earth's cycle and we are not to blame whatsoever.

In sum, large collections of people are never at fault (unless it's the federal government) and should never take the blame for bad things that happen.

In looking at this ridiculous dichotomy, I'm wondering...why are conservatives/libertarians so pro-collective? They continually speak of the supporting individual rights and freedoms yet fervently shit all over them. Down on your luck? Tough shit. It was probably some dumb ass decision you made. No hand outs here, buster. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. And don't go blamin' the rising cost of (insert organization here) for your problems. You are on your own...unless, of course, it's the federal government. Because they are forcing you at gunpoint to do their bidding.

But do not, under any circumstances, blame yourself as a part of the human race for climate change. They are all a bunch of liberals using a pseudo-science rooted in apocryphal religion to hoodwink you into government spending beyond their means. Even though the effects of greenhouse gases warming the earth can be shown in any 8th grade science class, it's not your fault.

Folks, I don't get it. As is usually the case, the right has the issue of fault completely FUBAR. While I do agree that people (especially in this country), have a great deal of control over their lives and do, in fact, make poor choices that lead to negative outcomes, they aren't entirely to blame on their own. This is especially true when it comes to the issue of health care. And if they get laid off from their job, that may also be the fault of the company in general and poor decision making by upper management-a collection of people. It's a combination of both individual fault and the impediments that arise as a result of the institutions (both public and private) that we have in our society.

So, shouldn't those same institutions, which likely helped to cause the problems in the first place, also be expected to to help people?

5 comments:

juris imprudent said...

For being so reflective you sure never listen to real people, or at least the ones that attempt to discuss things with you here. You might begin to understand if you stopped reflexively mischaracterizing anything that doesn't immediately accord with your narrow beliefs. I keep believing this is something possible for you to do, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Santa said...

I think the reason for that, Juris, is that you are an asshole sometimes. Mark isn't mischaracterizing the right at all. These are the things they say so if you want to gripe, gripe about them being nutty.

6kings said...

He is reflective alright as in no truth sticks in his head, just bounces back. One exception *might* be gun control but that occasionally seems like it will return to 'default' too.

TurboMax said...

This is an accurate portrayal of the mentality of the right today in terms of fault and 6Kings comment is another example of "Projection/Flipping" seen all the time.

juris imprudent said...

Yeah, I can be an asshole at times. Particularly when M refuses to understand what I am saying and keeps telling me what I really think/believe/feel. I mean, wouldn't that piss you off?

M is always talking about some right-wingers and the crazy things they say - yet those people that he supposedly actually knows never speak for themselves here. The things he says they say are virtually never said by any of the non-liberals posting here. It reminds me a lot of the way some right-wingers go on about "teh gay" - it is nothing but a bogeyman in their head.