There’s one thing wrong in this world, and one thing only. It is not a race problem. It is not a cop problem. It is not a gender problem. It is not an age problem. The problem with this world is responsibility or lack thereof. The people of our world have become too comfortable with blaming their problem on others, rather than taking responsibility for their actions. You may agree to disagree on this being the whole problem, but you cannot deny that it is a huge problem. This statement doesn’t even have to be directed towards the current problems of racism in police communities. It can be aimed at relationships, friendships, family drama, etc.

When you sleep with someone you regret and everyone finds out, you choose to blame everyone else for “talking” rather than taking responsibility for the choice you made. Your parents ground you for getting a speeding ticket and you say you “hate” them rather than admitting to your wrong doings of going 17 mph over. The police catch you smoking weed at the pier just down the street from their station and it’s “f*** the police” instead of you looking in the mirror and thinking “wow I probably shouldn’t have done that where they patrol daily.” The police pull you over seat belt violations and find out you have a warrant, so you’re arrested, attacked, or even killed and suddenly it’s a “race” problem rather than you just accepting the fact you broke the LAW and are now in trouble for it. You get arrested for raping a girl but instead of realizing you harmed someone innocent, you put it on her by saying she “asked for it” because her skirt was too short. You have a drinking problem and you blame it on your job and your family rather than just understanding that you fall into a category of alcoholics.

The list goes on and on for possible scenarios that could involve someone blaming someone else for their mistakes, problems, actions, etc. I think after looking at those situations people want to know why. Why blame somebody else? Why fault others? Why try to make others look bad? Why ruin someone’s reputation? Why, why, why… The answer is truly simple. It is easier to blame someone than hold yourself accountable and admit you’re wrong. We all do it. I do it. I get answers wrong on tests and I blame the teacher for not telling me that information because I find it easier to say it’s their fault rather than admitting I didn’t take the notes or study. But that’s where it starts. That level of comfort starts at a young age when you’re taught that it’s okay to blame others. As we age, we continue to do it and do it and do it again and again and the scenarios just grow bigger and bigger until we are where we are right now in 2016. Blaming cops, blaming black people, blaming Barrack Obama, or Hillary Clinton, or global warming. So how do we stop it? We stop it by finally holding ourselves accountable. Holding our families and friends accountable. Teaching our youth to hold themselves accountable when they’re young so that they grow and continue doing that. We are a society of equals. Let’s act like it.