An "Epidemic" of Irresponsibility

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An “Epidemic” of Irresponsibility

The following is from Thomas Sowell. Compassion Versus Guilt. pp. 231 - 233

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An “Epidemic” of Irresponsibility

There seem to be more epidemics sweeping across this country now than in the ages of the great plagues. A recent cover story in Newsweek magazine referred to an "epidemic" of drug use among young people. Before that, the media were sounding the alarm about "epidemics" of teen-age pregnancy, of alcoholism, and of suicides, among many other things.

When I was growing up, we were taught to stay away from crowded places during an epidemic, because someone might sneeze on you and you would come down with influenza or something. It is hard to see how you are going to come down with drug addiction—much less pregnancy—that way.

Reckless use of the word "epidemic" is more than just media hype debasing the language. Like most clever uses of words, it camouflages a hidden agenda. Personal responsibility is anathema to deep thinkers, for that would undermine their role as rescuers of the "victims" of society.

If everything is an "epidemic," then we have done an end run around personal responsibility and can now break into the clear with more government programs—which means more money, power, and visibility for the rescuers. It is an old script, but the anointed keep using it, changing a few words here and there to keep on bamboozling the public.

Personal responsibility can be gotten rid of in many ways. Comedian Flip Wilson says, "The devil made me do it." Deep thinkers say "society" made people do it. That means the taxpayers have to pick up the tab. Flip Wilson is much funnier, and not nearly as costly.

There are people with some unusual names. Just among economists, there are Orley Ashenfelter, Axel Leijonhufvud ("pronounced just the way it's spelled," he says) and Pedro Schwartz. But I have never met anybody named "society." Yet, if you believe the deep thinkers, this is who is making everybody do everything.

Everyone is learning how to cop out of personal responsibility by blaming "society." From teenagers in high school to hardened felons in prison, they can tell you how the "traumas" they were put through by "society" caused everything from failing grades to armed robbery. People who would rather mooch than work used to be called bums, but now they are homeless "victims" of "society." You are supposed to feel guilty because more money is not being taken out of your paycheck to support them in the manner to which they would like to become accustomed.

The decline of personal responsibility has been accompanied by a rise in social responsibility by people who had nothing to do with the individual decisions that brought on disaster. Along with this has come an increased role for people skilled at creating guilt.

One of the best performances of this nature was a television appearance years ago by author James Baldwin. He glared out from the TV screen in a coldly bitter stare, saying: "I've just come from seeing a dead boy—and you killed him."

"Not me, Jim," I replied to the screen, "I've been here in the apartment all day."

It turned out that this "dead boy" was 28 years old and had died from an overdose of drugs. Baldwin never really explained how the television viewers had done him in—nor did he have to. "Society" is presumed guilty until proven innocent.

We laugh at people who believe in the tooth fairy, but we take it seriously when deep thinkers talk about "society" as having done this or that—or having failed to do this or that. If they mean the government, then they ought to say the government. But then we might see through the high-toned words to the hidden agenda.

—March 17, 1986

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Def. epidemic. The rapid spread of a disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time.

I don’t think of a better word than “epidemic” for a sudden outbreak of things like drug use, teen-age pregnancy, alcoholism, and suicides. These things don’t spread though some germ but I think they do spread from person to person like an infectious disease.

Thomas Sowell attributes the cause of these phenomenon to lack of personal responsibility. The liberals blame “society”. They think everyone with problems is a “victim” of society. What would I say was the cause of these problems?

I would say these problems are all symptoms of spiritual sickness in our society — deep spiritual and moral problems in modern western man. They are caused by wrong outlooks, attitudes and values due to getting away from the outlooks, attitudes and values of the Bible. They are the consequence of western man abandoning the Bible for the outlooks and values of modern atheism. I think many of these problems such as teen-age pregnancy and drug use are also due to bad judgment. They are problems of people who have gotten off on the wrong roads in terms of personal conduct. How does this happen? They follow the crowd, do what everyone else does. They don’t think for themselves, don’t have moral conviction. They don’t know right from wrong and that affects their good sense.

The basis for my life has been the Bible and my faith in God. My life has been a good one and I have never had any such problems. Because of my religious commitment I have never touched drugs or alcohol and never been tempted to. I have never used a curse word or four-letter word and never been tempted to. My life is regulated by principle. I know what is right and I think for myself. I don’t follow the crowd. And I have never had any suicide wishes or thoughts.

A god-fearing person with moral standards does know right from wrong and takes responsibility when he does wrong. He doesn’t blame his wrong actions or conduct on others or on “society”. That is a basic difference between a Christian and a modern liberal.

1 June 2024