Responsibility

Tim Ellsworth has written about Dean Hancock, the father of former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock, who died in a car crash this past April 29. The 29-year-old had a blood alcohol content of nearly twice the legal limit when he crashed into the back of a tow truck that was assisting another vehicle. Authorities have also stated that he was speeding, talking on his cell phone, and not wearing his seatbelt, and that marijuana was found in his vehicle. Despite all of this, the elder Hancock is suing the restaurant that his son was leaving, the restaurant's manager, the tow truck company, and the driver of the vehicle being assisted by the tow truck.

I appreciate Ellsworth's perspective, one not likely to be heard on ESPN:

We as a society have zero sense of personal responsibility, and a victim mentality has taken up permanent residence in the courtroom. There’s good reason for that, however – because it long ago took up permanent residence in our hearts. …

The blame-shifting and buck-passing of which we’re all capable began in the Garden of Eden, when Adam blamed his wife – and ultimately, God — for his sin. We’ve since become masters of the skill.

When we’re impatient with our kids, it’s because they aren’t behaving properly. When we cheat on our taxes, it’s because the government has already taken enough of our money. When we don’t work as hard as we should, it’s because our supervisors are too demanding. And on it goes.

UPDATE: The BP site seems to be down, so Tim has posted the whole story here on his blog.