Monday Morning Rant: Personal Responsibility

It seems like recently, I've been noticing a whole lot of people being assholes. Well, actually, that's not recent. People have always been assholes. I think it should be added to the list of universal constants. What makes this in any way noteworthy, is that it seems like people are now excusing their assholery using the term "personal responsibility".

Essentially, this works as a "get out of being called a dickhead free" card. Here is how you use it:

Step 1: Do something remarkably dickish.
Step 2: Wait to be called out on your crappy behavior.
Step 3: Tell the injured party that it is, in fact, not YOUR problem, but theirs. They are responsible for their own life, actions, and feelings.
Step 4: Look all smug and generally act as though you are more emotionally evolved than the person you just screwed over.
Step 5: Feel no remorse, ever.

Still not sure? Here are some real-life examples.
- The guy who was in the playground with his kids, and decided to leave by walking through the off-leash dog park, not through the separate exit. Then, on strolling through the off leash dog park (full of, funnily enough, off-leash dogs), decided to dribble/bounce a ball on his way. When the dogs went after the ball (as dogs, in dog parks, tend to do) he got furious. We should all have trained our dogs better. Clearly, it was not HIS fault for refusing to display common sense. Nope. All on us.
- The guy who left a girl in a bar, after insinuating he would be taking her home, in order to meet a different girl (me), and actually take her home. When the first girl called him to see where he went (unsurprisingly) and tell him that she was pretty disappointed, as she thought that they had plans, he told her that he was "sorry that she felt that way, but her feelings were really up to her, not him".
- The woman who refused to pick up the litter she dropped, and when told that dogs or small children could get at it and get sick, replied that in that case, people should train their dogs and watch their children more closely.
- Every woman, ever, who has decided that she will NOT contact the man that she is interested in/seeing/dating, because "if he wants to see me, he will make the effort", not realizing that he could be applying that same logic, and she might want to try putting herself out there. Just a little.

Got it? Good.

Now don't get me wrong. I am all for actual personal responsibility. The kind where you make every effort to take control of your life and your emotions, and don't fall into the trap of the victim, blaming everyone else for your problems.

The thing is, what most people are doing is so far from personal responsibility that it is almost comical. Are you really going to tell me that you should not take any responsibility, or admit to any control over the situation, because every one else should be taking responsibility and control?!??

Why is it so difficult to grasp that this is something that you do yourself, not something that you tell other people to do, or a way to dispense with empathy, consideration, or understanding. Hint: it's right there in the name. PERSONAL. Responsibility.