Opinion

Passing the Buck

By SCOTT T. HARDS

As I write these words, America and the world are still recovering from the shock of the senseless slaughter in Littleton, Colo., that took the lives of 12 innocent students. While most of the debate about the tragedy has centered on gun laws and how two kids could get a hold of so much firepower, many have struggled to answer the question "why?" What could have possibly inspired two so young to do something so horrible?

Some think they have found the answer. The Colorado killings were, unfortunately, not the first time a student has taken a gun into school and slain classmates.

The family of a boy who killed several others last year thinks video games are the problem, and has filed suit against Sony and several other firms claiming that the games' violent content is what turned the boy into a murdering monster.

If my child had been one of the boy's victims, the filing of such a lawsuit would have caused my blood to boil. To me, such an action represents the ultimate denial of responsibility.

While there's no denying that violent video games may have played some kind of role, their impact on the boy's life and personality are trivial compared to that of the parents who raised him. It is they who must accept responsibility for their failure to bring up a boy who had even a remote understanding of the value of human life — not video game makers, not gun manufacturers. But perhaps this reality is too heavy for them to bear, and they seek to shift responsibility away from themselves, to "pass the buck" as we say.

Frankly, if there are any lawsuits to be filed from incidents like this, they should be filed by the victims against the parents of the boy responsible, charging them with failing to fulfill their duty to properly educate and supervise their child.

Americans seem to be good at passing the buck, or at least that's what recent newspaper stories suggest. One doesn't have to wait long to see a story in the media about Americans and how they continue to grow fatter every year. Experts say now that nearly half of Americans are over their recommended weight, and nearly one-third are medically obese. I even read recently about how some movie theaters in the United States are starting to install special wide seating to accommodate those folks whose bottoms won't fit into the standard 18-inch (45.72-cm) chairs!

However, despite the fact that Americans are, by far, heavier than any other nation's people, there is no shortage of excuses from the obese as to how they got into their current condition. "My family is big-boned." "I have slow metabolism." "I don't have time to exercise." It's hard to find someone who will confess honestly, "I'm fat because I eat too much." People are not even willing to take responsibility for what they put in their own mouths.

Being able to accept responsibility for one's own actions and failures is a key part of being what's usually referred to as "mature." By that standard, it seems that U.S. society as a whole still has a lot of growing up to do. Until we learn to say, "The buck stops here," we'll keep getting fatter, keep killing kids, and keep on perpetuating a host of other societal ills because we refuse to recognize their real cause — ourselves.

Shukan ST: May 14, 1999

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