The Blame Game

I am really getting tired of people who constantly blame others for their own bad choices.  It started off with my children who didn't want to be held responsible for their messy rooms, lost possessions or incomplete chores.  I regularly heard excuses like "That isn't my mess all over the floor...it's my brother's."  or "The baby took my iPod out of my room and lost it!"  or "I was going to do my chore but Dad wanted me to see something on the computer."  I am tired of excuses and I am tired of blaming others for your own shortcomings. 

Then I began to realize that the problem is much deeper than the menial problems in my little family.  On a recent audition episode of "American Idol," a horribly tone-deaf woman questioned the judges' decision by asking if they said no because she wasn't skinny enough.  What?!  Are you kidding me???  Instead of coming to grips with the fact that she couldn't sing, she tried to place the blame somewhere else.

And then there are those who (I almost hate to say this) attribute every problem in their life to race discrimination.  This is a hot topic button for me right now.  It seems that everywhere you look, every news story you read, someone is saying that they were treated unfairly due to their race.  I am not in any way denying that racism exists.  Because it most definitely does.  Let me also state that I am, in no way, a racist.  I don't say that I'm colorblind either.  I see the various races in the world around me and I accept and appreciate that variety.  That said, I think something has to be done about the growing problem of people "playing the race card" in every situation in their lives.  This trend is being passed on to innocent children who are learning that when life gives you lemons, tell everyone you were mistreated due to your race.

I have been following a news story about a woman who illegally enrolled her children in a neighboring school district because she wanted to give them a better life.  I understand her concern.  And like her, I would try to enroll my children in a different district if I felt that it would provide them with a better education.  But this woman broke the rules.  She lied about her children's residence, stating that they lived with their grandfather.  She lied about her income to receive free and reduced meals.  She swore that all the information she provided was legitimate. 

When her dishonesty was discovered, the school district sent her a letter stating that she needed to leave the school and pay back tuition.  She ignored the letter.  For two years, she kept her children in the school and threw away all tuition bills.  So action was finally taken.  The school district took her to court to sue for back tuition and fraud for misrepresenting sworn documents.  So, she played the race card.  She said she was being singled out because of her race.  But she wasn't being singled out at all.  She was only 1 of 48 families who were confronted by the school district for illegally attending its schools.  47 of the families complied by withdrawing from the school, paying back tuition, or legally moving into the district.  One did not.  So she was punished legally for her actions.

It just makes me so mad that she is now saying that she was discriminated against because of her race.  She was found guilty by a jury that included four people of her race.  Lady, you were wrong.  You lied and you falsified documents.  You were warned but you continued on with your behavior.  Quit blaming others for what YOU did.  Instead of blowing up your story into a national media frenzy, just close your mouth and try to make amends for your actions.  Grow up and take some responsibility.