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I think that what most people identify as wanting to blame someone for something can also be looked at as people wanting them to be responsible for something -

I think that what most people identify as wanting to blame someone for something can also be looked at as people wanting them to be responsible for something - not responsible in the 'you did this, go to jail' sense, but rather the 'take hold of this, be in control of it and improve the scene' sense. Its one thing to blame someone for something - this is just a base, banal version of wishing they'd be more responsible for that thing. Alas, the tone of the discourse often degrades to the lower levels of human interaction, when really there is an undercurrent to the discussion that is just as valid. So finding fault in others, assigning blame - these are all just frustrated attempts to recognize that people do need to take responsibility for their lives, their actions. Its hard for teachers to be blamed for the state of poor education when they're not allowed to be responsible for it - when they have standards pushed upon them by fabian government kafka-lovin' "employees" who have never taught anyone a thing in their lives. Alas, however, there is another factor here, and that is the poor need to be responsible for their lives. They need to take control - however they can - and lift themselves up. If it requires help, then so be it - but you can't help someone who isn't willing to help themselves, and thats the first step. Calling for the poor to 'accept the blame' is one thing; asking the poor to be more responsible for their lives, another thing entirely. The same result is desired - its the degree of help, versus hostility, that makes the difference whether someone is willing to accept the claim, however.

xamuel 12y ago
Individual poor families might have the possibility of 'pulling themselves up by the bootstraps', on an ad hoc basis. But that'll never work as a general policy to deal with the problem. Even if you could get them all to try, the existing opportunities which make it possible for individuals to climb up, would immediately be swamped. We can't all work three fulltime jobs to save up enough money to buy a food stand, or whatever.
- fit2rule 12y ago
  I think you're wrong about that - or if it were the case, how would our modern world even be possible? Only a few of us can do big things and change our lives? Clearly there are enough examples of people who did not have the universe on their side making big changes regardless, to negate this perspective - I know far more people who started with nothing and built their prosperous lives through hard work than those who just inherited it by luck or fortune. Its therefore important to point out that there is a further responsibility in the equation, beyond just 'blame the poor', and that is 'make the rich more responsible for the poor', too. Its not a single equation, but rather a set of them .. linked together in order to function. And when these links are made and functional, we have a healthy society which boosts the standards of living for all of its citizens. There are enough examples of this to warrant optimism that in fact we can improve our own lives by improving the lives of others, and to ignore the desire to just be defeated by entropy, which is the natural state of the universe.

xamuel 12y ago

Individual poor families might have the possibility of 'pulling themselves up by the bootstraps', on an ad hoc basis. But that'll never work as a general policy to deal with the problem. Even if you could get them all to try, the existing opportunities which make it possible for individuals to climb up, would immediately be swamped. We can't all work three fulltime jobs to save up enough money to buy a food stand, or whatever.

fit2rule 12y ago
I think you're wrong about that - or if it were the case, how would our modern world even be possible? Only a few of us can do big things and change our lives? Clearly there are enough examples of people who did not have the universe on their side making big changes regardless, to negate this perspective - I know far more people who started with nothing and built their prosperous lives through hard work than those who just inherited it by luck or fortune. Its therefore important to point out that there is a further responsibility in the equation, beyond just 'blame the poor', and that is 'make the rich more responsible for the poor', too. Its not a single equation, but rather a set of them .. linked together in order to function. And when these links are made and functional, we have a healthy society which boosts the standards of living for all of its citizens. There are enough examples of this to warrant optimism that in fact we can improve our own lives by improving the lives of others, and to ignore the desire to just be defeated by entropy, which is the natural state of the universe.