Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Where Does it Become Our Responsibility??

I have really been thinking a lot about this doctor, Conrad Murray, that is being charged for involuntary manslaughter in the Michael Jackson case. America, what is going on here? At what point do we start to take responsibility for our actions? The defense argued that Michael Jackson gave himself this final dose of the anesthetic that unfortunately took his life. I am not being calloused here, I feel for his family and this is a very unfortunate event. In fact, I loved Michael Jackson and was sad about it all, but where does the buck stop?

Let's look back in time at 1994 for a minute here. A woman sues McDonald's because the coffee was too hot. Really?  Unfortunate, yes...the restaurant making hot coffee...inevitable. If it wasn't hot she would have complained that it was cold. At what point did the woman drop the coffee in her lap....and at what point did that deem the restaurant the fault?

Fast forward: 2002. A man hires a lawyer and files a suit against the four big fast food chains. He claims he is obese because of their fatty foods. Okay, seriously, I am obese....it's my own fault. I do not eat right and I do not exercise right, it is my responsibility. I made me this way. I am not out getting sue happy trying to get rich over it.

It never ceases to amaze me sometimes what goes on here in the land of the free. I know people that can't wait to see that "Caution: wet floor" sign so they can take advantage of a lawsuit. I also know someone else that got a crack in the front windshield of their car, then drove around forever looking for a truck full of rocks so they could call the 800-number on the back to get a new windshield. 

C'mon, America, at what point does it become our responsibility? It is our fault if we are lazy, it is our fault if we are materialistic, and it is our fault if some of us are money hungry. Let's take responsibility, I know I am!!


5 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree more. It's a sue happy society.

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  2. I agree too! I could ramble forever and it would turn into other ramblings about similar topics and...I'm just going to stop =).

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  3. right? Really, truth be told, we all need to go back to the basics, so we can remember the TRUE meaning of life....

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  4. I do agree that more people need to take personal responsibility - but, there are always two sides to things.

    I watched a documentary about the woman with the coffee. They found that McDonalds admitted that they made their coffee so that, when served, it would be at a temperature of 500 degrees. Wow, right? This was because it usually sat for a while before the cup was actually given to the customer, and to cut down on complaints that it wasn't hot. BUT - they admit that they knew it was too hot to be served right away, and could be dangerous. So, I do think they had some fault.

    I think that while all Americans should be taking more personal responsibility - companies should be more responsible with the power that they have. No, suing McDonalds for making someone fat isn't exactly fair. But - cigarettes were known to be harmful, and the companies tried to make them less dangerous for years. McDonalds, by serving individual meals that can double the calories you should eat in a day, and promoting that as a "normal" meal, and something that would be a great part of your every day routine, is doing the same thing. They KNOW that eating those foods is dangerous, but promote it as though it's a great choice. I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult to make changes to their food prep, and reduce the sky-high calories.

    I think that sometimes lawsuits have to happen, to get companies to realize that it is their responsibility to contribute good things to society- ensure that their products are healthy and safe, and are making positive impacts not causing health problems or injuries. But it's also our responsibilities as citizens to own our actions, and not place blame.

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  5. @Meagan, well said. I guess it is a matter of perspective. I smoke cigarettes and I still believe that it was my choice to pick up that first cigarette. They told me it was harmful, but I made the choice consciously to do it. Same with alcohol, we know it is not good for us, but many choose to drink and even drive that way regardless of the consequences. I don't know, I still think it is a matter of personal responsibility. It would be great if there was no such thing as fast food, or tobacco products, but the reality is that they are probably here to stay. We could go on to say that to eat healthier costs more money and that there should be some regulations out there that the fattening food should be more expensive then healthy foods. We are a world of convenience and I think that has a lot to do with it as well. But ultimately I think we as consumers need to make better choices for ourselves and our families. I struggle a lot with the convenience factor, its so much easier to throw a pizza in the oven then to make the better choice. I definitely need to do better with this for my own family because my children are learning my bad habits. We actually went to a sit down restaurant the other day and they complained the whole time that it was taking so long....I need to work on this for myself and my kiddos.

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