The Blame Game

The easiest game in the world, especially when based on unsubstantiated claims, is to blame someone else for everything/anything that comes to mind; I'm sure we have all done this at some point in our lives, most of mainly in childhood. Whilst childhood shenanigans are annoying they do not generally constitute tragedies, merely irritations, whereas the Blame Game played by supposedly responsible adults - as I suppose people like politicians (but all of us, really) should be viewed...- is shocking, painful and can lead to human tragedy and death.

Yet all around us supposedly rational people are refusing to shoulder their share of responsibility and blame for events that are occurring on their watch, instead choosing to blame others; sometime the blame comes with familiar sinister overtones heard before, much like the Nazi propaganda blamed the Jews and their 'interests' for Germany's problems between the two world wars. It is extremely convenient to find a scapegoat when holding a mirror up is too painful, thus making others suffer even as we evade our duty, and reality.

Britain is, surprisingly, having a bit of a moment presently: many people are blaming immigrants, immigration and the EU for all sorts of problems, real and imagined, while ignoring any benefits to the UK of EU immigration. I say surprisingly because Britain, despite ever-present isolationist tendencies, has always been a bastion of free thought and speech, a safe haven for threatened people the world over and respectfully accepting of those that respect her. And, yes, before you say it, it is also the same Britain that once created an empire and at times brutally suppressed the freedoms of some (most?) of its subjects - the one does not negate the other, despite the obvious contradiction. It seems like a form of schizophrenia, I agree, that at the moment has parts of British society expressing a strange selective xenophobia in the effort to pin all sorts of problems on these external 'enemies' of the moment.

Britain is not alone in this, we are at it all over the world. Here are a few other examples:

1. The Donald (he of the gorgeous, or did I mean gargoyle, hairstyle... enough said) blames America's problems on 'bad dudes', Mexican nogoodniks, muslims or anyone else he can think of, but not the laxity of US laws, lack of investment in domestic industry over the last forty or so years in pursuit of short-term profit elsewhere or the over-indulgence of American society after WW2.
2. Aung San Suu Kyi, a woman who not that long ago practically had the status of a saint in the eyes of the Western world seems to suggest that the Rohingya people, a muslim minority in her country, are more or less voluntarily making themselves victims purely by existing, and so deserve all they get.
3. The inimitable Islamic State (or whatever they currently call themselves or we call them) who blame anybody but their monstrous selves for the killing and destruction they unleash on the world under their faux religious banner.
4. The kindly Mr. Erdogan, President of Turkey, who is prepared to accuse and blame everybody and anybody who disagrees with his view of the present, the past and his modus operandi. It appears that  he is allowed to hit out at anyone and anything he considers hostile but all others not with him are criminals should they even think of opposing him, never mind hit back.
5. The frankly ridiculous attempts by the Greek people and government(s) to blame everybody else for a failed 'economic miracle' based on illusion, political conjuring and theft, and one that they were keenly claiming only a decade or so ago as a sign of superiority to northern Europeans addicted to working and lacking the spirit and wisdom to enjoy life.

Problems can only be faced, understood and attempts made at solving them if we acknowledge their existence and truly understand their root causes. No, this isn't easy on a personal basis - how many are really honest with ourselves? - and probably even more difficult on a collective basis. But life itself, it must be understood, isn't easy nor was it meant to be; for most it represents a series of challenges and pain interspersed with short bursts of happiness and pleasure. The modern idea that we should all be living in a constant state of nirvana is something dreamed up by glossy magazine columnists and is far removed from reality, or any possibility of reality.

If truth be told, we all of us need to grow up, take responsibility for our actions at all levels and push our leaders and politicians to do the same. We may find this difficult, but future generations may inherit a better world for us giving up playing the stupid, destructive blame game.

Oh, and Donald, there are bad dudes everywhere - why, in some circles people who behave dishonourably in business are considered bad dudes even if they are stinking (the right word, for sure) rich.