Before I start this piece I must point out that it is not my intention to offend any individuals or make particular comment on any of their conditions. The only condition I wish to make comment on is the over-riding mood of the times. However, if you are not broadminded enough to accept honest, adult, views, then tough.
I originally planned to write a small piece on the topic of compensation culture and the plague that it has spawned, but an article I read in several newspapers last week has hastened me to forget about quality control and just let myself vent.
The article in question related to a lady who has sued her local health service for several million pounds for an ambulance crew failing to arrive in sufficient time to aid her. The reason she needed aid? Because she had taken an overdose (a small cocktail by all accounts) with the admitted purpose of wishing to commit suicide. As the ambulance took ‘too long’ to arrive, although the crew admirably managed to save her life, due to the delays she has suffered irreparable brain damage and is now severely disabled. The result of her claim? She won. Approximately £2.8 million by all accounts. Normally I like to think my literary skills are quite good and I can express myself with a nice array of differing words. However, on this occasion the only words that spring to mind are – what the f*ck?
Lets get this straight – she wanted to commit suicide. I’ve looked this up in the dictionary, so I’m quite certain of my facts and interpretation on the meaning of this: To take ones own life. Hmm. So to sue the health service whose dedicated professionals try their absolute hardest to attend to all sorts of problems and accidents day in day out – usually with scant recognition – who unfortunately failed to save this ungrateful woman’s life by failing to arrive ‘in time’ sums up the very worst end of the spectrum. Now I know what you are thinking, that I’m being insensitive to this woman’s plight. And yes, if anybody who I loved dearly were in the same situation I would be distraught and wish to seek answers to all of the unanswerable questions – and be fair-minded about it. But these days, suing seems to be an automatic reaction. People appear to have got it into their heads that everybody else is to blame, and never themselves.
At the very ‘trivial’ end of the scale we have those appallingly amateur and laughable TV adverts for claims companies. I ask you people who greedily issue writs and damages claims – exactly WHY was it NOT YOUR FAULT that YOU DID NOT LOOK where you were going when you slipped up? And since when did something that was a result of your inability to be aware become the fault of the council, or your employer or whoever it may be? Accidents happen, human error inevitably occurs. Unfortunately mistakes are made and not every single drop of liquid, slightly jagged paving slab, loose railing or whatever it may be can be monitored 24 hours a day. If you were to drop a plate on your foot at home, which had precariously been balanced in the cupboard, would you withdraw £2000 from the bank and sue yourself? Why not? If your logic is correct then you were the negligent one and deserve to be held accountable. No? Didn’t think so. Shit happens, get over it, get on with life and stop looking for someone else to blame for every little thing that doesn’t quite work out.
On a more important level, the area of sexual discrimination cases swirls around my angry brain like an angry hurricane threatening to tear up everything in its path. Now, I know we cant always believe what we read in the papers, but I’m sure you will agree the main nuggets of truth shine though, especially when they are taken from a court case. I’ve lost count of the amount of so-called sexual discrimination cases I’ve seen in the press and on the media over the last few years. I will gladly provide my full moral backing to those rare few which I have seen that are truly despicable and amount to practical verbal assault and battery. No one should be subjected to something as bad as that. But a few tit jokes? Personal hygiene quips? Comments on female stereotypes from a group of men? Questions about the size of your manhood? Grow up. I go to work too. I also went to school. I’ve been on the receiving end of innumerable jokes or sarcastic comments about my weight, my sexual orientation (‘straight with a twist’ according to my girlfriend), my courage, my penis size, my glasses, my eyebrows, my hygiene and so on. I’ve been the butt of untrue rumours started as ‘humorous’ fun, and of emails and gossip. Who hasn’t? But to go to court and claim that petty jibes like this have ruined your life? Why didn’t you just leave? Tell them to shut up, even. If it was that disturbing – why did it take months and months and months to remain working there and then ‘scar’ you? If you are sat in a pub or cinema and the language or comments are too much for you – you leave, or change seats. Why should other people change their language or humour or things they have been doing without any complaint for probably years, just because you don’t fit in with it. And to claim millions and millions of pounds? The job only paid about £30,000. Even to claim a million pounds, that is making a statement that you would have worked there for over 35 years! Not likely. Especially seeing as it was pretty obvious you didn’t fit in there…do you think everyone else who worked there didn’t have the same kind of jibes? Doubtful.
My point in all of this is that –
YES there are some horrendous miscarriages of justice.
YES there are some appalling laxes in judgement, errors and faults.
YES, sometimes it is appropriate to sue and purveyors of bad practice or truly malicious ways need to be cut down to size.
But to grow into a society with an habitual reaction to sue for as much money as possible – and generally way in excess of anything that remotely equates to true equal recompense – is testament to the times, The ‘must have everything’ culture. Responsibility for ones own actions is diminishing and its commonplace for it to always be somebody else’s fault. The greed that instils this belief in deserving something for nothing – more than you would ordinarily be entitled to.
The worst example of this in my book is the growth in personal injury claims – fuelled by those annoying TV adverts I mentioned earlier. In my mind, if somebody has left a ladder in an unsteady position, or a wet patch on the floor, or a jagged edge on the corner of a cupboard or display unit – it’s not intentional. It’s not with malice of forethought. It’s not deliberately negligent. It is down to one of the basest characteristics that humans have: Forgetfulness. It’s down to something that afflicts all of us: getting sidetracked with other things. Most of all, its just accidental.
Human nature.
What isn’t, or shouldn’t be human nature, is to castigate others for the same ‘failings’ we have.
Sadly, I fear I’m one of the few who is blunt enough to speak my mind on this.
Amen!
I've been of the opinion that people need to take responsibility for their own actions, and not give that away to anyone else, including assigning the blame for quite some considerable time now.
Fantastic post, sir.
But very pink.
Owl.