Following any misfortune blame is immediately placed on someone, some group, or some organization. Within a few minutes influences are in the media pointing fingers in all directions supported by tearful testimonies.
Every type of misfortune anywhere in the world provides the occasion — natural disasters, massacres, school shootings, murders, plane crashes, wars and many more. Nothing is exempt. Anyone or any hypothetical conspiracy is a possible object of criticism. Participants are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If they engaged in any act that contributed to the misfortune, or if they did not intervene is some way, they are hauled over the coals.
Detailed interpretations, expanded commentaries and predictions of outcomes explode. The event is covered with so many layers that the event itself becomes fuzzy and seems only an occasion for media roasts. We have become familiar with the types of misinformation and disinformation cast into the wind. Media spread intentional disinformation to position their allies or themselves to win the blame game. In some cases, the goal seems only to create mischief and instability.
Accusations and guilt by association do irreparable damage to the individual or organization involved even if truth about the event later disprove accusations. A leader poured all the feathers from a pillow on a windy street corner. Then he asked his group to gather up all the feathers and put them back into the pillow. They exclaimed, “Impossible!” So it is with rumor, accusations, gossip and blame too quickly and carelessly placed.
Authorized officials in many countries and internationally investigate unfortunate events. It is very important that we learn from each event to determine causes and to learn best remedial steps in order to avoid or mitigate the negative effects of future mishaps. Eventually some blame might be placed so that punishment can be judiciously given and accurate payment of damages be awarded those harmed. Such careful determinations take time.
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” that justice long delayed is justice denied, risking continued oppression and suffering. He stressed the urgency of addressing injustice and the need for timely action. The issue is how to settle on “timely” and on the type of appropriate action.
Time is essential for specialists to determine causes and best remedial steps. Immediate kneejerk reaction by attention seekers is not helpful and might make careful study more difficult or impossible. Nevertheless, slogans on posters and shouted over megaphones demand “Justice Now!”
Reasons exist for our current fascination with tragedies and rush to judgment.
We are inundated by instant reports of unfortunate events around the world. Global multimedia operates 24/7 in an evolving darkening kaleidoscope.
Humans wallow in gruesome scenes of disaster and suffering and in humbling the privileged.
Attaching oneself to a whirlwind event gains personal attention and gratification, if only transitory. Little people puff out chests by hijacking breaking stories. They employ public relations advisors to position them in front of cameras.
Use of CAPS fonts on the page or figuratively in voice and action of media persons scream demanding our attention.
Immediate indiscriminate blame hustles monetary payouts. Calls for criminal judgments grease the path to civic lawsuits and possible double jeopardy.
Some people are wired to blame themselves. A mother forced her daughter to recount and confess her errors after any misfortune. Thereafter, the daughter enumerated her faults after any misfortune to the despair of co-workers who needed to deal with the aftermath.
Awareness of such manipulations following disaster warns us to avoid blame games, which destroy trust. Trust undergirds our public and private relationship and once lost is irretrievable.
Remember, when you point a finger of blame at someone, three other fingers are pointed toward you. Judge not lest you be judged!
Raymond Brady Williams, Crawfordsville, LaFollette Distinguished Professor in the Humanities emeritus, contributed this guest column.
