Is somebody always to blame?
When things go wrong we always feel that someone has to be blamed. Is this fair? Are we too inclined to blame someone when it isn’t really anyone’s fault.
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It’s an old tribal custom. If someone in the tribal village dies, someone in the other tribe on the other side of the hill, must be to blame, so the first tribe sets out to take revenge. This is a result of superstition and ignorance. Unfortunately we still have some of that reasoning in our more “civilized” communities. We’re not as “civilized” as we like to think.
No, a lot of things are nobody’s fault. God’s, maybe, if you believe in that.
It’s all my fault. Every single thing. Blame it on me. Everyone else does. Why not you? And I’m happy to take the blame, if it makes you feel better.
Of course, if you want to solve problems, it’s best not to lay blame. Nothing like blame laying to get people to drag their feet in solving a problem. Blame laying is one of the stupidest things you can do, but it is such a human instinct.
But that’s why I am performing this public service and accepting the blame for everything so people can just fucking get on with solving problems.
No.
Most of the time we have some responsibility in what happens but yes, shit happens too.
I am “blaming” the economy for my dwindling finances and it is to blame. Fucking world! lol
Everything has a cause, so trying to find the cause in order to prevent it from happening again could be called blame. Yes, I think someone is always to blame.
Some things are unforeseeable even by those who are responsible. Often the blame is narrowed down by the process of elimination depending on how far back the incident is deconstructed eliminating everyone else but those who might have had an opportunity to prevent it, had they known about it.
Sometimes we want someone to go down, for whatever it was that happened, even though they probably had little to do with it. We can always make it be someones fault.
@YARNLADY What about natural disasters? Breast cancer?
No. Bad stuff happens and there is not always someone to blame.
Everyone wants to find a culprit, as this seems easier to deal with the problem, or at least, find some kind of sense of security, or even guidance. However, there isn’t always someone to blame.
And even if there was, it’s not like shit always gets sorted out for the better when there IS a culprit. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But no, there isn’t always someone to blame. But I suppose it’s much easier to get out of hard work and responsibility with a scapegoat, even if we have to make one up.
Well, that’s what scapegoats are for, right?
And, in ancient times, an actual goat was used. And everyone felt better afterward regardless of whether or not the problem was resolved.
Here is an interesting case in point. From the article:
‘Six Italian scientists and an ex-government official have been sentenced to six years in prison over the 2009 deadly earthquake in L’Aquila.
A regional court found them guilty of multiple manslaughter.
Prosecutors said the defendants gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake, while the defence maintained there was no way to predict major quakes.
The 6.3 magnitude quake devastated the city and killed 309 people.”
Does this seem fair?
Wow what a stretch of culpability that was. So who will be held accountable for the end of the Earth some day?
You betcha! My fault, entirely! And I feel terrible about it, too. And believe you me, if there was anything I could do to prevent it, I would!
@flutherother A perfect case in point. If they had decided to error on the side of caution and advise evacuation instead…if people panicked and were hurt or killed because of it, they (the scientists) would have been blamed as well.
Who me? Naw. I just like to own up to whatever people blame me for. It generally defuses a lot of unpleasantness whether it is true or false. I honestly don’t care about blame, other than it stop as soon as possible. I think it is one of the more useless thing we humans do. So I find if I take the blame, most people get it is a joke, but they also drop the witch hunt. That’s the important thing.
And if I have to be the witch, I don’t mind. I feel like one most of the time, anyway. So I might as well be open about it. That tends to make people accept me, oddly enough. Yep. I’m a witch.
Next.
Then we talk about the real issues.
So sure. I’m narcissistic. Won’t find anyone more narcissistic than me. Just one thing. I hate looking in a glass mirrors.
I feel compelled to own up to what I’ve actually done but sure as hell, I’m not “owning” up to something I haven’t (even if I won’t point fingers). I’ve accepted, that by nature, humans are more interested in escaping blame or admitting fault, than they are with honesty or correcting their errors.
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