1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

Responsibility, Who Has It and Who Doesn't and What That Means For The Nation

Teacher: Natalie Garrett

Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

1stMike Godfrey        2nd Josh McFarland  3rd Karen Krumlauf 

"In today's society it's not the child's fault that they are failing or doing very poorly in a class. It's the teachers fault for not doing their job correctly. In one eastern state a teacher was fired because she failed more than half of her class. Teachers have one of the most wonderful jobs in the world. They get to open up the minds of young people and help them learn. Instead of putting the blame on the teachers É Kids need to value their education and take responsibility for it."
Kristin Chase, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"On December 13, 1993, the security guard at the grocery store I work at witnessed a man shoplifting. When approached, the man started a fight. The security guard sprayed the man in the face with pepper spray and arrested him. After the incident the D.A.'s office was threatening to sue the security guard because the shoplifter claimed his rights were violated."
Karen Krumlauf, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"Another absurd act of irresponsible behavior, is the man in Portland, Oregon, who, in trying to rob someone's house, broke his arm. Instead of going to jail, the man sued the owners of the home, because he hurt himself on their property. The crazy thing is that he won!"
Josh McFarland, Phoenix High , Phoenix, Oregon

"A final example, one which I read about in the Medford Mail Tribune, started out with a man in New York being pulled over for a routine traffic violation. The man was carrying a bag of cocaine, and when approached by the police officers, decided to swallow the entire contents of the bag rather than to be caught with it. The man instantly went into convulsions, but the police acted fast enough to save his life. For this crazy or even stupid action, the man awoke at the hospital with minor brain damage. Instead of putting the blame on himself, he shed his responsibility, and blamed the police department for not acting quickly enough. Along with the blame, the man also filed a $7 million lawsuit."
Josh Alner, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"The judicial system needs to crack down on some of these ridiculous claims such as, 'The paint label didn't say not to use it on my cat.', or 'There should have been a sign that said not to drive my car through the grocery store.' I mean really, wake up and smell the 90's. Judges need to see through the facade of 'victimization' and get rid of these petty cases and save the tax payers money."
Alan Welburn, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"A graduating student in Los Angeles county sued the education system in 1992 when he failed to get accepted to college. The young man could not read but had received passing grades in his classes throughout his high school years. He was an excellent basketball player who ranked high in his league and the school didn't feel they had a team without him. He was seriously injured in the final game of the season. After his injury, his grades and test scores were more important to colleges than his athletic ability. Granted the district should never have given him passing grades, but the student had to be aware that he was not meeting the standards set for him."
Kevin Gilman, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"On the talk show 'Oprah', a young man had a problem with beating his wife and children. He blamed his problem on his father, since his father had beat him as well as his mother, when he was a child. The man said that it was hereditary and there was nothing he could do about it. This man has absolutely no excuse for not getting help and should be punished."
Kristin Chase, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"Another example of someone not being held responsible for his own actions is the tragic story of Len Bias, whom I read about in a February issue of Commonwealth. He was an N.B.A. draft choice who died from a drug overdose. Sports writers blamed his death on childhood experiences. They failed to realize that Bias had a choice and he died of his own ignorance and stupidity rather than a childhood problem."
Karen Krumlauf, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"People can lobby for limits on amounts of damages courts can award. They can pressure government to cut down on the loopholes in the law which allow people to blame vague 'others', such as society, for their actions."
Mike Godfrey, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"The founder of Domino's Pizza dropped the 30 minute guarantee on pizza delivery after a court found a Domino's driver guilty of running a red light and striking a woman. This shows responsibility on the part of the owner, but is the $79 million dollars awarded to the woman really an appropriate award for personal injury? Does this contribute to the high numbers of law suits filed in America today?"
Mike Godfrey, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"I work at a local supermarket. Lawsuits happen about once a month in our store. About a year ago I was filling milk, when an elderly lady approached me asking for help since she had extremely poor eyesight. I helped the lady, and was instantly approached by her friend. Soon after, the elderly lady attempted to walk off and bumped into a milk crate. She ripped open a sore on her leg. The lady ended up filing a lawsuit saying that I was negligent for leaving milk crates out on the floor.
At another supermarket, belonging to the same chain as mine, but in California, an employee forgot to tag a special advertised item. A customer, angry at the store for trying to rip her off for fifty cents, sued. On top of that, the store was fined by the state. Both the example above and this example are of people trying to make some easy money by suing a business. In the first example the lady shed her responsibility for herself, expecting the store to clear out any obstructions from her path because she was blind. When she hurt herself and attempted to put the blame on the store, she was expecting the store to be responsible 

Although the following excerpts offer no concrete solutions, these students showed they were aware of the role media played in exacerbating or alleviating what many view as the "irresponsibility epidemic". They saw the potential:

"In US News and World Report I read that in the inner cities TV sets are turned on for eleven hours a day."
Becky Anderson, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"Thirty-seven year old Bob Lampshire works in a local Carl's Jr. in Medford, Oregon. Some might wonder how he can do such a job and be blind. His cash register is in Braille and he has a money identifying machine that beeps a different number of times when he runs the money over it, depending on the denomination. I feel that this shows great responsibility to Bob Lampshire and to Carl's Jr."
Travis Bridges, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

"Everybody complains about how terrible our society is. Yet most of these complainers are the ones who never accept responsibility for their actions and don't get out in their community to make a difference. People need to realize that nothing will ever get better unless we all stand together and work at it. Which means being responsible for ourselves and taking the initiative to make changes."
Karen Krumlauf, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon

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