Whatever happened to personal accountability?
You know, taking responsibility for your actions, admitting when you’re at fault, refusing to shift the blame to someone else.
It seems to be a forgotten art form in this country, similar to blacksmithing. In fact, if accountability were a breed of animal, it would be on the endangered species list. If it were an automobile, it would be a Pacer.
For a recent, well-publicized example of this problem, one need look no further than the New York lawsuit seeking damages against McDonald’s Corporation for making its teenage customers fat.
In the latest round, a federal judge last week dismissed the lawsuit for failure to state a valid legal claim, though he also left the door ajar for the plaintiffs to amend and refile their complaint.
The lawsuit was initiated on behalf of two teenagers who claimed to eat a significant number of their weekly meals at McDonald's, almost always choosing to "supersize" them. Ashley Pelman, 14, of the Bronx, is 4-foot-10 and weighs nearly 200 pounds. Jazlyn Bradley, 19, of Brooklyn, is 5-foot-6 and weighs close to 300 pounds. The plaintiffs’ attorneys were hoping to convert their case into a class action lawsuit representing obese teens across the country.
Can you say, "Cha-ching!" Not if your name is Ronald McDonald.
Anyway, the plaintiffs accused the fast-food giant of deceiving consumers about the high levels of fat, sugar, salt and cholesterol in its products. However, Judge Robert W. Sweet found there was no evidence McDonald's had concealed information about its ingredients. More importantly, he ruled that fast food, and McDonald's products in particular (Say "Ouch!" if you are a McDonald’s executive), are widely known to contain high levels of potentially harmful ingredients.
Really? I guess that explains why doctors and dietitians never came out with the "Fast Food Diet."
According to Judge Sweet (there’s a little irony in that name, isn’t there?), "If a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of supersized McDonald's products is unhealthy and may result in weight gain, it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses."
Yet, he also made time to ridicule products such as chicken McNuggets. Although consumers may believe they are pan-fried white meat, the Judge found them to be "a McFrankenstein creation of various elements not utilized by the home cook." Yes, but at least they have a shelf-life of a couple thousand years.
Ultimately, Judge Sweet decided that "nobody is forced to eat at McDonald's." Of course, the Judge has never been in a car with my kids around noon on a Saturday.
Still, the real problem here is with the parents of these obese teens. Instead of admitting their failures as parents, they look to blame someone else. Particularly someone with "deep pockets."
No accountability.
Let me tell you something, if you are too stupid to figure out that allowing your child to eat more than half their meals at McDonald’s is akin to painting their bedroom with three coats of lead paint and making them wear asbestos underwear, then the only lawsuit you should be involved in is the one you file to try and win custody back from social services.
But in America these days, we are no longer required to accept responsibility for our mistakes. Remember the woman -- Stella Liebeck -- who sued McDonald’s for damages (and won) after spilling hot coffee on her lap?
How about all the corporate execs who take the Fifth rather than admit their wrongdoing? Wouldn't want to risk losing their second homes in Aspen. Meanwhile, their employees lose their jobs and their shareholders lose their investments.
Or what about Bobby Knight? Just when you thought his long-overdue dismissal might finally teach him a lesson, numerous schools rushed in to bid for his services, each willing to broom his "excesses" under the rug. Heck, he’s even filed a lawsuit against Indiana University for having the gall to dismiss him in the first place. All he did was physically assault a student heckler. Obviously, the kid deserved it.
According to King Bobby, his dismissal is a symptom of a bigger ill in our current society: The younger generation is allowed to get away with way too much.
There’s just no accountability anymore.
Copyright 2003 Marc L. Prey
All rights reserved.
Derived from the comical life of the author -- a fairly typical husband and father who just happens to be a humor columnist.
