By Motorcop
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve preached about taking responsibility for one’s actions. That being said, however, it still occasionally surprises me (even though it really shouldn’t) when someone reaches down deep to blameshift.
Here’s the scenario:
I was on my way to court not too long ago. I was sitting at a red light, minding my own business, listening to some of my favorite tunes. My light cycled to green and a minivan to my right (on the intersecting road) entered the intersection. On a red light.
Well, your buddy MC writes cites quickly and I was already close to court, so I smiled to myself, hit the lights and caught up to the minivan.
I was anticipating the typical “but the light was yellow!” argument, but was met with nary a defense. The driver was kind enough to roll down all the windows. His 3-year-old asked him, “What happened?”
Now, Dad started to answer with “I ran a red light”…at least that’s my opinion…but he changed it to “I’m trying to get you to school, buddy.”
Yeah…dude blamed his tardiness on his 3-year-old son. Nice work, jackass.
But, it gets worse/better. At no point did he offer any defense whatsoever (not that I would have entertained one, mind you). He was giving off a pretty healthy disgruntled vibe, though. The 3-year-old reiterated his question, “What happened, Daddy?”
This time, Dad answered, “He’s going to take money from your college fund.”
Pause.
Now, I’ve been a cop for longer than a minute and I’ve seen/heard quite a bit. I have pages and pages of posts about how people will shirk their responsibilities, blame others, and basically do whatever it takes to weasel their way out of accountability. But, this was a new one.
I have to pat myself on the back momentarily for one simple reason: I didn’t immediately retort with this: “No, no, Johnny. Daddy’s dangerous driving, irresponsibility and general shitty ability to manage time is the reason you’re losing money from your college fund. When you’re in your late 20s and flipping burgers because you couldn’t go to college, feel free to swing on by Pops’ house and kick him square in the nuts for driving like shit.”
Luckily, I maintained my professional demeanor and simply returned to the motorcycle to write Dad-of-the-Year a ticket for running the red light.
Play.
I returned to the minivan and gave the now-glaring dad his citation. I resisted the strong temptation to throw him under the very large bus he attempted to throw me in front of previously, but I used some restraint.
After this piece of work drove away, I reflected at how far society has slid over the last 10 years. More and more often, I’m seeing people blaming others for their actions. It’s never their fault.
Speeding? I was going with the flow.
Run a red light? The car behind me was tailgating.
Illegal U-turn? I’ve seen other people do it.
Seriously?! What are you…12? Look around and pull your head out of your ass. I am far more inclined to cut someone a break if they simply look at me and say, “You know what, officer? I totally fucked up. I’m sorry.”
Boom. Easy-peasy. Enjoy your warning, Honest Abe.
