The New Abnormal II

"That's all I can stands, cuz I can't stands no more!" ~ Popeye

"I'm into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I'm the kind of guy who likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder - "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecued ribs with the side order of gravy fries?" I want high cholesterol. I wanna eat bacon and butter and BUCKETS of cheese, okay? I want to smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section. I want to run through the streets naked with green Jell-O all over my body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly might feel the need to, okay, pal?" ~ Edgar Friendly, Demolition Man

I feel for ya Popeye.  For too long I've just been slightly irritated by what I hoped was a fad, but now sadly see as a growing trend in our culture.  And with you Mr. Sailorman, I can't stands no more either!

That trend is the ever-increasing glorification of personal rights at the expense of any sense of wisdom, responsibility, or propriety.

Pick a topic: Ferguson, gun-control, date rape, domestic abuse: all have at least an element or an example of someone exerting a self-perceived right while not exhibiting any wisdom, personal responsibility, or propriety.  Some, some could argue, lack all three.

Ferguson.  You know the story by now.  A unarmed black teenager is shot dead by a white cop after being asked to move to the sidewalk from the street.  And I'll stop with those facts, because they are the only facts universally known for sure.  Was the cop racist?  Did he execute an innocent man simply because of his color?  Some think so, but no one (at least no one publicly) knows for sure.  But almost never mentioned is the fact that had the teenager simply obeyed the officer as a public authority figure, there likely would have been no incident.  Rather than move to the sidewalk as requested, Mr. Brown chose instead to assert his right to walk wherever he wanted, and whatever happened next came as either a direct or indirect result of this assertion.

Gun-control.  This past Monday morning, a nine year old girl accidentally shot a firearms instructor with an Uzi.  Yes, an Uzi.  I fully support our right to "keep and bear arms" according to the U.S. Constitution, but the girl's father decided that his child's right to bear this type of arm overrode any sense of responsibility or wisdom that might say that a gun like that, that apparently recoils so that a nine year old might not be able to control it, should not be fired by a child.  On a side note, I find it interesting that someone has to be certain size or age to ride a roller-coaster but can handle a weapon that can fire 600 rounds per minute!

Date rape/Domestic abuse.  I put these two together, because the argument is pretty much the same for both.  Any warning or advice given to the woman to protect herself is seen as some sort of violation of her rights.  The right to dress or act in a way that might invite danger is paramount, while any suggestion to exercise restraint and wisdom is ignored.  To be clear, in no way will I EVER blame the victim in one of these cases.  But what responsible husband or father would ever endorse his loved one's choice to put themselves in unnecessary danger.

And just like last week, the list could go on and on.

Josh Gordon, a wide receiver for the Cleveland Brown was suspended this week for the entire 2014 football season for testing positive (a second time) for marijuana. After apologizing to his teammates, coaches, and fans, he immediately blamed the NFL, saying,  "I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn't exercise better discretion and judgment in my case."

This wasn't even an example of rights, as you can't argue that Mr. Gordon had a right to be high.  This is a great example instead of a lack of responsibility: it's someone else's fault when I make a mistake, thus I should not be required to suffer any consequences.

When did this change in our culture happen?  Once, when I was in high school, I popped off to a teacher.  When my dad found out, he made me go apologize.  We did not blame the teacher, nor did we defend my right to my opinion or my right to express myself.  I was wrong, I took responsibility, and it became a small step in making me a responsible citizen.  Oops, there's that word again: responsible.

Responsibility is a fourteen letter word. It is not a four letter word.

Without it, we are all Edgar Friendlys.  We want the ability to do whatever we want, wherever we want, with no thought to the effects on ourselves or others. 

And this is exactly how a civilized society crumbles.