The Culture of Victimization
Is it me, or does it seem like no one takes responsibility for their actions anymore?
Case in point, that schmoe teenager in Florida that was stupid enough to mouth off to a Columbine Student in an AOL Chat Room that he was going to "finish what was started." Ok, did this kid take a great big leap off the Idiot Tree and hit every branch on the way down? I guess he should’ve realized that his AOL ID can be tracked, and that his true identity can be determined (Law Enforcement is curious that way). But now his Lawyers are saying he had "Internet Intoxication" - which essentially states that, people have a feeling of anonymity while online and do things without fear of repercussion.
Basically - he was not responsible because he didn’t think he would get caught.
Does that mean I wasn’t responsible for getting nailed taking my Dad’s car out in High School because I was intoxicated by youth? Can I claim "Youth Intoxication?"
Does that mean that the director of "Showgirls," Paul Verhoven, was suffering from "Breast Intoxication" and thus not responsible for his movie?
Then there are the folks suing Tobacco Companies because... are you ready for this... cigarettes are BAD for you! Ok, when did the concept of inhaling and accepting smoke into your lungs go from being a bad thing, to a good thing, to a bad thing again? I mean, there is a reason why, if you try and breathe smoke, you cough - so why would you want to voluntarily accept something into your body that is bad for you?
But people seem to still be doing it - turning their lung tissue into black globs of tar and make healthy people like me pay for their Emphysema treatments so they can smoke through their Tracheotomy Holes... or is it just Tobacco Intoxication?