Take a turn at the blame game? or, Is it all Johannes Gutenberg's fault?
Asked by
Jeruba (
56034
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December 2nd, 2008
This one’s my own invention and in fact a favorite of mine, infinitely entertaining and grimly satisfying. The idea is to figure out whose fault it all is.
Here’s an example:
It’s all Henry Ford’s fault. If he hadn’t invented cars, we wouldn’t need gasoline, and none of this would have happened.
The rules:
1. You don’t have to specify what “this” is, but it has to be recognizably part of the national and global mess we’re in.
2. You must show a clear chain of causality with at least two links.
3. It’s ok to play a little bit fast and loose with the facts as long as they serve a symbolic purpose; for example, “It’s all Hallmark’s fault. If they hadn’t told everybody they were special, we wouldn’t have entitlement, and none of this would have happened.”
4. You can’t use a fictitious character; for example, Eve, as in “It’s all Eve’s fault. If she hadn’t listened to the serpent and given Adam the apple, he wouldn’t have invented sin, and none of this would have happened.”
5. You can’t blame God. (See #4.)
Your turn.
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11 Answers
It’s all Al Gore’s fault…
If he hadn’t invented the internet we wouldn’t have these inane message boards. lol
Eh, some would argue that God isn’t fictitious, I’m worried people will make that an issue but I see your point, I liked your gasoline one, but it isn’t his fault. :)
Come on everyone, we can’t all be as unimaginative as me tonight, I wanna see some answers to this. Great game, Jeruba!
@Asmonet, thanks! I know it’s not really Henry Ford’s fault; see #3. Name recognition and symbolism count there. That’s part of the game.
You can’t blame God because then there’s no game. It would go like this: It’s all God’s fault. If he hadn’t made everything, there wouldn’t be anything, and none of this would have happened. See? No game.
@Oh, I agree with the rule, for the exact reasons you mentioned. I was just concerned about some reactions to the phrasing. I hate it when God debates steal threads that had nothing to do with religion at all. :)
It’s all FDR’s fault. If he hadn’t worked so hard to recover the economy, we wouldn’t have such a booming economy and none of this would have happened.
[edit: how’s that?]
Good one, @Fireside. But two links in the chain, please.
So it’s FDR’s momma’s fault?
I’m blaming Eli Whitney, without assembly lines we wouldn’t have factories and the factory mentality and all this wouldn’t have happened… dagnabit.
its Herbert Hoover’s fault, if he should have done something to help so FDR wouldnt have to had to recover our economy
@Fireside, that’s perfect. (Prior version didn’t have the prosperity in there.) My compliments.
You can keep playing, too. After all, even if it’s all FDR’s fault, that doesn’t mean it’s not all Julius Caesar’s fault or Paul Revere’s or Alan Turing’s or Thomas Edison’s. I did figure out once that it was all Johannes Gutenberg’s fault, but I forget how that one went.
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