blame

Pres. Obama blames congressional Republicans.

Congressional Republicans blame Pres. Obama.

Senate Democrats — well, I’m not sure who they’ve found yet to blame.

Gun control advocates blame semi-automatic assault weapons.

The NRA blames criminals.

Samsung blames Apple.

Apple blames Samsung.

Oscar Pistorius blames an imaginary intruder.

The liberal media blames Bob Woodward.

Rush Limbaugh blames the liberal media.

Lots of people blame Pres. Bush.

Still more always blame the referee.

Jim Harbaugh blamed a non-pass interference call.

Green Bay Packer fans (sorry, Dad) blamed the replacement referees.

Al Gore blames global warming.

The entire Middle East blames Israel.

Hugo Chavez blames the United States.

Lance blamed a lot of other people.

Some people blame junk food.

Others blame their kids.

Kids blame their parents.

Democrats blame Fox News.

Fox News blames the mainstream media.

(… there’s that media again…)

The rich blame the poor.

The poor blame the rich.

The black man blames the white man.

The white man blames the black man.

OJ hasn’t figured out yet who new to blame.

Islamic terrorists blame Western Christians.

Tom Cruise blamed Oprah.

Many blamed Scientology.

Deepak Chopra blamed America.

Kobe blames the Lakers’ age.

Tiger blames fatigue.

Ashley Judd blames hip hop.

Lindsay Lohan’s lawyer blames her family.

Colin Kaepernick blames himself.

 

(Finally…)

 

As a culture we spend significant time blaming other people.  Whether it be the doctor for an inaccurate diagnosis, the friend who treated us wrongly, or the server who messed up our order — we are quick to identify who’s culpable.  We also are not good at acknowledging our own culpability — no matter the message, no matter the magnitude.  Let’s admit that most often more than one person is culpable…  the player and the ref, two ex-spouses, and yes, those testy politicians.  However, regardless of our role, we prefer shifting the negative focus — and blame — elsewhere.

 

Thank God for the Colin Kaepernick’s of the world, the rookie 49ers’ QB.  When all eyes were upon him after the Super Bowl (save those reflectively still reveling in Beyoncé’s halftime show), he didn’t utilize his moment before the mic to cast blame on someone else.  He humbly acknowledged he had made multiple mistakes contributing to the negative outcome.

 

Way to go, Colin.  Maybe we should send you to Washington.

 

Respectfully (albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek)…

AR