BLAME

Pointing the finger

by Alex Hutchins

It is a standard operating procedure (SOP) or business practice to make everyone else look worse if and when you cannot make yourself look good, pointing the spotlight (or finger) on them rather than yourself; in other words assigning blame.

Recently we have heard Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney point the finger at our current President Barrack O’bama with accusations in the aftermath of our Ambassador being assassinated in Libya of bad foreign policy because statement issued from the American Embassy there took place on his watch and were therefore his responsibility.

Is this really what our

country needs right now,

blaming someone else?

 

Prior to this news we heard both the mainstream media and the conservative talk show host speak about the two political conventions that recently took place:  the RNC and the DNC in Florida and North Carolina, respectively and while political pundits on both sides of the fence applauded the efforts of each party, the bottom-line was that each convention and consequently each party blame the other party for the problem, pointing the finger and sometimes I wonder which finger were they really pointing?

Is this really what our

country needs right now,

blaming someone else?

In Chicago this week, public school teachers went on strike blaming the other side for not meeting the Union’s demands while Chicago’s public school system blamed the teachers for low test scores on standardized tests received by their students; each side pointing the finger at the other side, while the student, caught in the middle, suffers, or ends up being taught by unprepared substitutes.

Is this really what our

country needs right now,

blaming someone else?

Republicans blame Democrats for not creating enough jobs when any student of business, commerce, or economics know that these forces are created by the marketplace and businesses hire only when they need to hire as overhead costs and costs of goods sold are always passed onto the consumer in higher prices.  CEO’s and Presidents of companies and/or corporations are measured every 90 days when dividends are paid to see if the management team has maximized shareholder wealth.  This is not controlled by the President or their administration.  Workers salaries result in high or low unemployment rates and outsourcing of jobs because of these high labor rates.

Is this really what our

country needs right now,

blaming someone else?

Democrats blame Republicans because of our dysfunctional Congress and Senate – elected officials that you and I elect, not the parties or the businesses.  It would seem that both parties, including the voters are to blame for this one as we keep electing them year after year because of our apathy.  Political parties are looking at what the party needs or getting re-elected rather than what America needs.  And, how can a wealthy person anyway, know what a poor person needs?

Is this really what our

country needs right now,

blaming someone else?

According to Wikipedia, Blame is the act of censuring, holding responsible, making negative statements about an individual or group that their action or actions are socially or morally irresponsible, the opposite of praise.

Blame Psychology 

How many times have you heard someone who said something that is mean, vindictive and hurtful -- or committed a violent and/or destructive act  -- justify it by saying the recipient had 'made' the perpetrator mad?

That's an example of using blame to excuse your own bad behavior.

Unfortunately, blame is like anger in that it dulls one sense of empathy. It allows a person to act in a hurtful way to another human being. It isn't the act itself, but it often clears the road. This is a small, but important point. Ordinary humans have inhibitions that serve as a buffer against what we know is bad behavior. Blame is not the act itself, but it either erodes or outright removes these inhibitions, often both . It develops a thought pattern that allows the person's emotions to override his/her self-control in order to achieve an often selfish end -- including sustaining dysfunctional patterns.

So, I was just wondering,

Who’s to blame???