1993-1994 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

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

Teacher: Steve Reich

Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

1st Amy Torchia  2nd Rocco Troiano  3rd Kim Mandragona

Students in New York uncovered many lawsuits by people who handled guns irresponsibly:

"A man who reloaded his own ammunition, bought a rifle with a modified barrel. While finding the correct seating depth to seat his bullet in his new weapon, a job which should certainly be done with a non-live round, his weapon went off, and the projectile entered a powder closet. The resulting explosion destroyed much of his home, and also burned him quite severely. He then proceeded to file a number of lawsuits, including one against the gunsmith, the manufacturer of the barrel, as well as the manufacturer of the action."
Chris Wynne, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

"An unidentified wife and husband were fighting. The wife grabbed a loaded revolver and placed it against her husbands chest. She cocked the gun and without warning the gun went off. She sued the gun manufacturer claiming that she was only bluffing and that the gun went off too easily, thus killing her husband. This is a classic case of someone mishandling machinery and then blaming the manufacturer. This irresponsibility resulted tragically in a death. This also sets a bad example for those who have "accidents" with guns. It sends a message that it's OK to mishandle guns and then blame the manufacturer."
Amy Torchia, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

Blamed if they don't:
"Another example of a suit filed to disperse blame took place in Seattle. It was filed when a woman who openly admitted to drinking up to one-half of a fifth of bourbon every day while pregnant, had a child afflicted with birth defects. He was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Though this condition was clearly her fault, she filed a suit against the James Bean Brewery, claiming that there was no clear warning on the bottles against drinking excessive amounts of alcohol while pregnant."
Chris Wynne, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

Sometimes it works for smokers too:
"Rose Cipollone had been a chain smoker for forty years. When she died of lung cancer in 1984, her family sued three cigarette companies. The family was awarded $400,000. This, and similar suits, place the blame on the wrong people. Granted the cigarettes cause cancer but nobody forces the smoker to smoke." 
Larry Weingarten, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

He's A Victim, She's A Victim----Bet We AreVictims Too!
"This is the age of the all purpose victim. People think that the loss of a job, an unsuccessful movie, a foul tasting can of soda, a slip on the supermarket floor, or an unbecoming face lift is sufficient reason to claim huge amounts of money. Individuals or groups [no longer attempt to resolve unpleasant situations or momentary setbacks; instead these become social problems.] The basic answer of the people is, we are not to blame, we are the victims....We are a society that is expanding the definition of a victim, instead of focusing on the genuine victims. The American people should focus on the real victims, and put their energy toward helping them." 
Kim Mandragona, Valhalla High ,Valhalla, New York

"In Florida, a woman sued a teenage boy for standing her daughter up on prom night."
Aaron Thigpen, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

"And finally, in Milwaukee earlier this year, a defense lawyer cited 'cultural psychosis' as the reason why one teenage girl killed another girl for her leather jacket. They claimed that society is at fault here once again, because in this case, the violence of inner-city life conditioned her into thinking that problems are resolved by gunfire. This is another one of those 'the devil made me do it' defenses. All this legal business is sending the message that you don't have to take responsibility for your own actions. Blaming society has become the concrete defense in most cases."
Rocco Troiano, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

Attention all victims! These students are on to you!
"People claiming to be victims are taking our attention away from those who are real victims. Those who cry wolf are causing a detriment to us as a society."
Michael Lantz, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

Stress----A Real Cash Cow
"In Los Angeles, at least three police officers who witnessed the notorious videotaped beating of a black motorist have filed for worker's compensation, claiming that they suffered anxiety and stress."
Kim Mandragona, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

Deep Pockets: Where There's Money There's A Lawsuit or How To Stop Progress
"Things were beginning to get out of hand in the state of Florida in the mid to late eighties. So many doctors were being sued for malpractice that they were refusing to deliver babies of lawyers. Also, a woman who was shot in the back waited thirteen hours before they could find a hospital unafraid of a malpractice suit, only for the woman to turn around and try to sue the police department which found her wounded."
Danielle Johnson, Valhalla High School , Valhalla, New York

"Fawna Wright, age twenty-three, sued a German chemical company that makes laundry detergent. She claimed that her leukemia was caused by this detergent, which was used to wash her diapers when she was a baby. In 1990, she received three point seventy five million dollars from the company. She also claimed that the detergent gave no warning. There were no medical records showing that she developed leukemia as a child. This woman appears to be looking to blame someone else for a problem she has. This action resulted in a huge loss of money by the German chemical company and will most likely cause this company to lose customers who read the article that their detergent causes leukemia."
Amy Torchia, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

A 25-year-old anti-graffiti mural artist was caught vandalizing private property with spray paint in the Sunset District of San Francisco on April 6, 1994. He was employed to teach youngsters how to channel their artistic expression. How's that for a role model?

In the spring of 1994, Congressman Carroll Hubbard was found guilty of abusing campaign funds.

If the government took more responsibility for its actions maybe the people would soon do the same."
Dana Guiffreda, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

"Although no one knows exactly what responsibility constitutes, it does involve good morals."
Amy Gottesman, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York

Back