Dear Diary,
I kissed Michelle behind the bushes yesterday after school. I think she likes me. I think she really likes me.
I heard a mean-looking man talking on tv about "personal responsibility" the other day. Then he started talking about how Hollywood and video games and stuff are ruining America. I was confused.
I am not so deluded as to think that I can define personal responsibility, Diary. I think I am a progressive person. I know I am. I also think that we liberals tend to freak out when we hear someone say "personal responsibility" because we think that person that says it is going to start making people homeless or something. I say, don't be afraid of personal responsibility... it is your friend!
As I said, I don't think that anyone can accurately describe personal responsibility, but I am going to talk about it anyway. It seems like Republicans think that personal responsibility means "Sorry, buck-o, you're on your own!" In a sense... in the broadest sense... they are right. I mean, when it comes down to it, we are all "on our own," right Diary?
I am going to get off that line of thinking for a moment.
A few years ago, some kids shot a bunch of other kids at a school. Of course, this sort of terrible tragedy happens all too often, but this was the big one at Columbine. Man, that was bad. The newspapers quickly filled up with views from people about who was at fault. It was Marilyn Manson, video game manufacturers, Hollywood... all sorts of people. I didn't know those people had so much influence over our kids. I thought that WE influenced our kids, but I was wrong, I guess.
When I was in high school, my English teacher's name was Mr. Fuchs. Seriously. He was a rabid Republican, and we had a weird love/hate relationship. I respected the guy, and I think he respected me. He taught a speech class I was in, and he assigned us each an "ism" to give a speech on. When it came my turn, he smiled smugly and glanced around the class. "Well, we all know what topic we're going to give [theoria], don't we?" He was a smarmy bastard. Anyway, he gave me "idealism" as though he had said "pig shit". I tell you, I wear that badge with pride, Diary. I gave a speech that made JFK look like a cynical bastard.
So what is the deal with always looking for someone to blame? None of us wants to admit that we are each at fault. I hesitate to say "collectively", because then you would say "See, there's nothing to be done." But deep down inside, you know better.
Collectively, we have abandoned our children, and in doing so, we have damaged our collective future. Collectively, we have decided to distract ourselves from the source of the problem by concentrating on the results of the problem.
Our kids are shooting each other at school, so let's throw some money at school security while simultaneously raging against the maching that we created to entertain our kids while we're too busy.
You don't like where I am going with this, Diary, I can tell by the look on your... whatever.
All we do is bitch, bitch, bitch and blame, blame, blame. I am so damn sick of everyone's bitching, including my own!
Whenever we happen upon another senseless tragedy in the news, we immediately start looking for someone to blame. Rarely, however, do we do what we SHOULD do. I say, the next time you read about a school shooting or other horrific, senseless tragedy, the best thing you can do is to throw down the newspaper, get up, stamp over to the nearest mirror and say "This is all your fault! How could you let this happen?"
You think I am full of crap, Diary, but I am not. If we all did that, and if we all took that guy or gal in the mirror seriously, we would have a lot fewer kids shooting kids. This is not Marilyn Manson's fault (although he should also do the stomping over to the mirror thing) and this is not Nintendo's fault. Who built these creatures? We did, Diary... we did.
This, to me, is personal responsibilty, but that isn't all it is.
I mentioned at the beginning of this entry that the Republicans think that personal responsibility means "tough shit for you, loser." But perhaps, in my admittedly idealistic view of the world, personal responsibility means "Wow, I am personally responsibly for that homeless man. I am personally responsible for that dead student. I am personally responsible for the dead soldier in Iraq." Is there something that you could have done? Yes, but only if we all decide to do it.
Collectively, we can do anything, and what's more... it is our personal responsibility.