Playing the Blame Game

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In America, playing the blame game is a very popular pursuit. While other species exact punishment on members who violate norms of group behavior, only we humans invest so heavily in determining who screwed up and how we can make them pay for it.

Recently, we’ve seen this on steroids in the politisphere. The voluminous criticism spewed at the Biden administration over the messy Afghanistan withdrawal is one example among many. This judgmental feeding frenzy erupted on both sides of the political aisle, and fast. After viewing images of the chaos at Kabul’s airport as the US military began evacuations, it didn’t take politicians, journalists and pundits more than a few minutes to issue a “guilty” verdict and begin piling on. Hopefully, these folks will never serve on a jury.

What did most of them know that informed their judgments? Probably very little. Some soundbites, short videos, the blather of a few equally ill-informed opinionators. But they had no interest in waiting for more information before getting on the “kick em when they’re up, kick em when they’re down” bandwagon.

Passing Judgment

And it’s not just media and political types. Most of us are quick to jump to conclusions and pass judgment, often harshly, with little data to back us up. Interpersonal lynch mobs are alive and well, not just on broadcast media, but across communities and social networks. Even if, after careful review, we conclude that serious errors in judgment occurred with the evacuation from Afghanistan, does it serve our collective interest to respond with vitriol and calls for punishment? Do we want people to learn from their mistakes so they can do better in the future, or is our preference to just make them suffer?

I overheard a discussion between an Australian and an American about the differences in our respective cultures’ versions of morality. The Australian remarked, “I think you yanks drew the short straw. Our immigrant population was mostly prisoners, pretty libertarian, while yours was mostly tight ass Puritans.” He’s on to something. Morally rigid and unforgiving puritanical attitudes inform how we handle most miscues. This mindset, along with greed, explains why the USA keeps more people in prison than any other developed nation on Earth. “Learn from your mistakes,” we often say, but, for most of us, that only applies to ourselves and, perhaps, some of our loved ones. “Pay for your mistakes” is the dominant cultural mantra.

How does this penchant for self-righteous judgment arise, and why so often? Because it feels good. When we label someone as incompetent, clueless or evil, it affords us the pleasure of feeling superior. We can conveniently forget or minimize our miscues and focus instead on those of others. What’s more, we can pretend that, had we been in that person’s shoes, we would not have made the same errors. In other words, by condemning their alleged incompetence, we feel more competent. By railing at their “stupidity,” we feel smarter. By labeling them as corrupt or malevolent, we feel morally superior. This helps spawn our “Gotcha!” culture, one incessantly searching for someone to mentally tar and feather.

Blame-Shamed

Sometimes, assigning blame appears straightforward. If little Johnny punches out some innocent kid, we feel confident in pointing a boney finger his way and giving him what for. However, what exactly does Johnny learn by being blame-slammed? Mostly, to hide his misdeeds while calling out those of others. Should his bullying be addressed with appropriate consequences? You bet. But, unless this process is corrective, rather than entirely punitive, little good will come of it.

Does everyone deserve a “learn from your mistakes” approach? No, because not everyone owns responsibility for and learns from their screw-ups. In Biden’s case, if an investigation confirms serious miscues, then his “the buck stops here” assertion must include taking full ownership. In kind, when Trump said he bore no responsibility for the botched federal response to the pandemic (he gave himself an “A+”), he forfeited the right to our collective forbearance.

Regardless, most of us find it far easier and less mentally demanding to blame than to understand. And, sadly, in our culture, when it comes to the blame game, being quick, intellectually lazy and unforgiving seem the modus operandi.  

For more, visit philipchard.com.