There's a little, two word Latin phrase that's underutilized in our modern society. It was once uttered, as the whip snaked over the shoulder and stung the back, as a spoken reminder of individual responsibility and culpability. Our society would be much improved if those two words were sincerely uttered more often by all of us, beginning now.
There's a sad irony in watching politicians demand swift action and accountability from others. It's equally sad and unsatisfying to see professional apologists take the blame, using phrases that have been carefully tested, and promise to make it right. We've seen plenty of both these past two months as the oil spilled from the ground a mile beneath the ocean. But through all the impassioned fist pounding about how this never should have happened and how those who are to blame will be held accountable, there's an angle that's been missed. Imagine for a moment how it would play if President Obama turned to the cameras and said "we're going to investigate this spill and take steps to reduce the chances that it will happen again, but inevitably, it will. The blame for this disaster and for those that will come belongs not only to the BP Corporation, but to me and every American who drives, flies, switches on an electric light, or sits comfortably in an air conditioned room." It would be political disaster, but it would be the truth.
BP sells a product we know is dangerous at every phase of its production and consumption. We demand they sell it as cheaply as possible to us and we elect politicians (from both sides of the political divide) who will continue our government's policy of subsidizing the costs of production so we can buy it for less than it should cost. "But" you say, "they were cutting costs by not maintaining safety devices all while showing huge profits to their shareholders, so it's their fault." Again, repeat after me, "mea culpa, mea culpa." In a very real way, we ask them to do this whenever we watch the stock market rise and fall and invest only in those companies with profitable track records. Our college funds, retirement and savings depend on them cutting corners, pushing equipment to its limits and crossing their fingers that nothing will go wrong. I'm not saying that it's right, just that we are responsible more than we like to admit. Examples of our active, culpable complacence are all around us. Turn the tag over on that shirt you're wearing. It's a good guess it's from a country where the standard of living would make the poorest in this country appear wealthy. Somehow, when we see those foreign countries listed on our clothing tags, we know it means they were made by crafted by underpaid workers in hot, humid, overcrowded conditions but we still look for the sales and buy from stores that supply what we want at a price that isn't possible without resorting to those production conditions.
It's dangerous to ignore one's own role in the circumstances of life but in the case of the oil spill in the Gulf, I'm afraid that's exactly what we're all doing. It can be scary to stand in the mirror and see the reason for the disaster but it can also be empowering.
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