July 26, 2013

Our society has devolved to a state where accidents “simply cannot happen”. There must be a culprit behind every ‘tragedy’. Legions of hungry lawyers and Walter Cronkite wannabes feel compelled to sniff out and prosecute anyone within shouting range of an industrial mis-deed.

To the extent we can learn from disasters and prevent future happenings – all well and good. Too often, however, these witch hunts are induced to enrich the plaintiff or bolster the ego of the hunter. The examples are extensive – from Exxon Valdez to Michael Jackson’s death, to Three-Mile Island to the BP Gulf blow-out to the Spanish train wreck near Santiago de Compostela. Accidents happen, seldom from malicious intent.

People make bad decisions or act inappropriately in times of stress. Pilots will err and planes will crash, equipment will fail and oil will spill, wacky people with guns will go meshuggah and people will die. It’s called life, imperfect life.

Nowadays, when an individual errs, the corporation (with deep pockets) gets sued, usually by a class-action lawyer preying on the unfortunate victims who will never see more than a few dollars if the case prevails. In every case, the media bloviates endlessly over ‘breaking news’.

It’s time to get real. S____ happens: Always has, always will! Let’s grow up and accept it.