Business Beagle
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Songshi QuanThe Blame Game – A new reality show.
August 29th 2008 00:39
It may not be a direct correlation, but I can’t help feeling that as technology advances it is matched only by the equally fast decline of societies values, the quality of the human spirit and dare I say it, commonsense… which should get a name change due to it’s remarkable propensity to now be very uncommon.
The latest example: Schools banning cartwheels and handstands in playgrounds.
Now, I would wager all I own (it was a safe bet) that everyone reading that example above is shaking their head in disbelief at such a bizarre ruling. And yet, it is people like us that make such a thing happen. Hells, it is people like you and me and your neighbour that proposed it. Why?
I’m glad you asked. I’ll tell you why.
Schools, like every other organization are protecting themselves against blame and litigation should our beloved children hurt themselves at school, performing some death-defying stunt like a cartwheel without adequate supervision and medical treatment standing by. They have to protect themselves, because we have become a society that is unwilling to take responsibility for it’s own accidents and mishaps. There is always someone to blame! And it follows, that if there is someone to blame, then there is someone to sue.
Ka-ching!
Schools ended up banning these cartwheels because they were considered a grade 2-risk activity, or some such grading. What saddens me most is that they needed to GRADE it in the first place! Are you freaking kidding me? We now need to grade playground games and activities so that we may assess their risk profile against our insurance cover to best determine what we can and can’t allow based on what our insurance will cover us against when we’re sued for a mishap…
Take a bow society. You have just plumbed new depths of idiocy.
Whole generations have successfully navigated childhood years without any of these ridiculous rules and restrictions imposed. These generations also skinned their knees, broke bones, twisted ankles etc. These generations also healed those injuries because the human body does that. These generations learnt about risk first hand. They tried and they failed / succeeded and they found their limits. As a result, these generations produced the amazing advances in technology we enjoy today. They produced incredible talent in sport, music, science, medicine, philosophy, etc. And they did it all without needing to sue the closest person when something they tried failed and left them with a sore thumb.
But not anymore. Now we have Winnebago drivers successfully suing the motor home makers for not specifically telling them that putting cruise control on and going into the back of your vehicle (while still traveling along the highway) to make a cup of coffee is going to cause an accident.
Accidents happen. A child will do a cartwheel and land wrong and possibly fracture their spine. It is conceivable. But, it is also just an accident. It is not a teacher’s fault for not being there to supervise. It is not a schools fault for not having had the foresight to ban such risky activities in the first place. It is part of growing up and accidents DO just happen. Is it tragic? Sure. Is it grounds to sue somebody? NO!
We are in a spiral of self-destruction through atrophy. Unwilling to take risks for fear of an accident, but more then that, fear that we won’t be able to find someone to blame for our accident.
Woof!
The latest example: Schools banning cartwheels and handstands in playgrounds.
Now, I would wager all I own (it was a safe bet) that everyone reading that example above is shaking their head in disbelief at such a bizarre ruling. And yet, it is people like us that make such a thing happen. Hells, it is people like you and me and your neighbour that proposed it. Why?
I’m glad you asked. I’ll tell you why.
Schools, like every other organization are protecting themselves against blame and litigation should our beloved children hurt themselves at school, performing some death-defying stunt like a cartwheel without adequate supervision and medical treatment standing by. They have to protect themselves, because we have become a society that is unwilling to take responsibility for it’s own accidents and mishaps. There is always someone to blame! And it follows, that if there is someone to blame, then there is someone to sue.
Ka-ching!
Schools ended up banning these cartwheels because they were considered a grade 2-risk activity, or some such grading. What saddens me most is that they needed to GRADE it in the first place! Are you freaking kidding me? We now need to grade playground games and activities so that we may assess their risk profile against our insurance cover to best determine what we can and can’t allow based on what our insurance will cover us against when we’re sued for a mishap…
Take a bow society. You have just plumbed new depths of idiocy.
Whole generations have successfully navigated childhood years without any of these ridiculous rules and restrictions imposed. These generations also skinned their knees, broke bones, twisted ankles etc. These generations also healed those injuries because the human body does that. These generations learnt about risk first hand. They tried and they failed / succeeded and they found their limits. As a result, these generations produced the amazing advances in technology we enjoy today. They produced incredible talent in sport, music, science, medicine, philosophy, etc. And they did it all without needing to sue the closest person when something they tried failed and left them with a sore thumb.
But not anymore. Now we have Winnebago drivers successfully suing the motor home makers for not specifically telling them that putting cruise control on and going into the back of your vehicle (while still traveling along the highway) to make a cup of coffee is going to cause an accident.
Accidents happen. A child will do a cartwheel and land wrong and possibly fracture their spine. It is conceivable. But, it is also just an accident. It is not a teacher’s fault for not being there to supervise. It is not a schools fault for not having had the foresight to ban such risky activities in the first place. It is part of growing up and accidents DO just happen. Is it tragic? Sure. Is it grounds to sue somebody? NO!
We are in a spiral of self-destruction through atrophy. Unwilling to take risks for fear of an accident, but more then that, fear that we won’t be able to find someone to blame for our accident.
Woof!
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Comment by Jeff K
Woof Woof!!
Comment by Business Beagle
Business News
Robert Keanalley
Also, a proximity test for the said accident might help. For example, if someone through direct interaction caused the accident or injury to another, fair enough, but, to say that "you are being sued because you were not there to prevent xyz..." is a step too far removed for my liking. Responsibility for ones actions needs to the first step in the recovery of commonsense.
Cheers,
Beagle
Comment by Songshi Quan
How badly am I injured?
How much money can I get?
Bah...I think I'm too cynical sometimes, but it always seems as though the Blame Game is played for good Prize-money.
Ruff!....grrr
Comment by Business Beagle
Business News
Robert Keanalley
You are so totally right. It's all about the "windfall"...
Might go break a leg and sue someone, need some cash!
Cheers,
Beagle