The Culture of Blame

Halfway through my practice, a dad with a kid came up and picked the tee box next to mine. We were on the upper deck. I guess the kid is about 5-6 year-old. Took one his dad club and hit away at the balls on the tee box next to his dad.

After a few attempts, the furthest the kiddo can managed was just a few feet away. The kiddo keep talking his dad who doesn't seems to give much response, not verbally at least. He was trying hard to concentrate on his own swings.

Kiddo: Paa... you hit quite far away.
Dad: Mmm....

Kiddo: Paa... since how old did you start to pick-up golf? you are good. You hit so far...
Dad: *mumble something, and barely audible (to me at least)*....

Kiddo: Paa... how come all the balls that you gave me are so heavy? Your balls are so light, and go so far...

Me: *rolls eyes*

Kids nowadays seems to be so intelligent. I don't think I can utter smart things like that when I was at that age. Maybe I was (and still am) just plain stupid.

It may sounds harmless, yet it really get me thinking. How does this words come out from the mouth of a small kid like that? Isn't a kid suppose to be innocent and honest? From where did he learn to blame it on the balls instead of his own inabilities to hit the ball?

If he picks that attitude up from his surrounding, and if I may use this as a yardstick, I think this culture of blame has certainly reached a chronic level in our society.

Just take a good look at issues on the national level. What is the first reaction to the issues that arose and being reported in the mass media (they tend to close one eye on those that not being reported, what the public does not know causes no harm), the first reaction was to find a scapegoat.

Take a look at the Fiasco of the Ear Squatting, fingers are being pointed every else but the real meat of the issue.

Not just in public service, mind you. My nature of work sometime requires me to interact and work with other external parties. When things got fucked up, it's a common things rather than exception, that all parties are more interested in playing finger pointing games instead of working objectively to resolve the root cause of the problem. I can't help but feel so hapless when caught in a situation like that.

Find someone to blame, anyone at all as long as it's not oneself. This has already been part of our culture, from the highest level till the lowest; even a small kid know how to do that. The worst thing is, this tactic is being used abused over and over again because everyone can always get away with it.

Could it be that this blaming tactic is the path-of-the-least-resistance, and being so made it the most favourite option in reaction to any issues that arise?

When are we going to learn, or rather unlearn this culture of blame?