Accountability--What Accountability?

 I thought of writing this post recently when I read a news account about a multi-million dollar payout by a pharmaceutical company to "victims" of opioid use. The supposed rationale for this was the incredible assertion that the drug company hadn't informed consumers of the potential "dangers" of opioid use.

I then came across an account by a woman whose son had died of a heroin overdose. Her story was, was that her son had been prescribed opioids for a back injury. She said that when the prescriptions ended he eventually moved on to heroin to deal with his situation (doesn't everyone?). Again, a pharmaceutical company was sued and millions of dollars were paid out.

These two situations beg the question to be asked, what part should personal accountability play in this? You can't buy any controlled substance without every imaginable side effect and danger being clearly written on the packaging. Add to that, you have the health care provider and pharmacist, who are told to inform patients of the potential hazards with the drugs they are prescribing.

Well, the reality is, personal accountability is not as common an attribute as it once was. In fact, it's rapidly becoming non-existent. The blame game is now in vogue.

On a related note, we have also seen other instances where the blaming of others and things for misbehavior and or/lawlessness has become the norm. Recall the rioting and destruction in the last few years for starters. Lest we forget, there was the continual playing of the victim role by certain people, often citing the supposed wrongs done to them recently or generations ago as an excuse for their criminal behavior. This mindset has been too often promoted by the Media and local governments.

Failure to be accountable for your actions is, to say the least, a real indicator of a lack of character. Worst case scenario, a lack of accountability can lead to, and promote, criminal behavior.

This is what we see flourishing in America today.