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Open your Manual of Manliness to Chapter 8-entitled,
"Responsibility."
What's that you say? You don't have your
manual yet. That's okay because it's still available at the bookstore
for only $59.95. Look for "The Wildman-A Manual of Manliness,
second edition." The first edition was a cave painting.
(Just between you and me, you could probably get the book at
Borders for $19.95.) For now, just follow along with the person
next to you but be sure to have it next week.
Pointing a finger and blaming someone else
has nearly become as American as homemade apple pie.
Not since the days of Truman have people been
willing to take responsibility for their shortcomings and goof-ups.
Truman summed it up best with the short message that sat on his
desk, "The buck stops here!" and indeed it did. Not
the case today, someone else is always to blame. We make weak
excuses for everything. It's not our fault the car ran out of
gas. It's not our fault that we failed that class. It's not our
fault that we spilled hot coffee into our lap while trying to
drive the car. It definitely has to be McDonald's fault that
you got burned by the coffee you spilled. McDonald's should know
better than to make the coffee hot. I would even bet that the
pimpled kid behind the cash register went to bed every night
hoping that someone would spill their coffee. Not very likely,
right?
A jury thought it was and awarded the woman
a nice settlement for her pain and suffering. There should be
a clause in the legal system protecting us from idiots like that.
The trend continues, in the last few years,
numerous class action lawsuits have been filed against the tobacco
companies. Yes, they did target children in some of their advertising
campaigns, but they never held a gun to anybody's head. Nor has
it been a big secret that smoking was bad for you. Everyone has
known for years!
It is unfortunate that states have to pay
the medical care for these stupid smokers. However, instead of
the person dying from lung cancer blaming themselves for being
so stupid, they blame the cigarette makers for selling it to
them. Try pointing the finger of blame at yourself for being
a moron.
You do realize what's next, the alcohol industry.
I can see it now, in a few years people who drank through their
livers will file lawsuits against the beer companies. Never mind
the label that says that drinking too much can be bad for you-these
companies forced that person to drink. You never had the choice
not to because you don't have any free will. Students in college
don't have the choice, they have to drink to be cool.
Even better will be the following years after
that when all the fat people decide that it's not their fault
for being fat. Being lazy, sitting on the couch and eating hamburgers
and pizza every night had nothing to do with.
McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and the
like are to blame, they made them fat. How could you not resist
stopping and eating there? You never had the choice, right?
The fast food industry tricked you into eating
at their restaurants. It would only be fair if these people received
a couple hundred thousand dollars in settlement.
We need to take the blame for the dumb things
we did. Yes, this is the land of opportunity. It's not the land
of guaranteed wealth and ease. You have got to work for it, suing
someone for your fortune should not be how it's done.
If you spill hot coffee on yourself while
trying to drive, talking on the phone, and reading a map, then
it is your fault alone.
Those of you that smoke, you know that it's
bad for you, and you will probably die someday of cancer. In
no shape or form is the tobacco industry at fault. Realize, that
if you are fat, your laziness made you that way not that red-haired
clown.
Remember, the buck stops with you. You're
a big boy or big girl now and responsible for your actions. Temporary
insanity is not an excuse for going to a party instead of completing
your term paper or going to your 8 a.m. the next day.
Be a man-better yet, be a Wildman and stop
making excuses for your own shortcomings. This concludes today's
lesson-next week, Chapter 12 "Trash."
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