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Personal responsibility a sad indictment

1K views 11 replies 12 participants last post by  MQ MAD 
#1 · (Edited)
Seeing and reading about peoples actions during the flood events makes me wonder where we will finish up with personal responsibility V enforced regulation.

I know regulation will become more strict as society progress's and we have no choice now but to accept it because we have reduced personal responsibility to nothingness, at work, home and play.

Insurance companies are warning about possible loss of insurance if you drive even through standing water. This makes it tricky if we wanted to go into semi accessible areas to assist people clean up, this is what got me thinking about this subject.

Earlier this week I had to drive my wife to work several times as her car would not have made it through the water that was over the road. There were lots of idiots (unfortunately, some in 4 wheel drives) charging through the water and drowning the odd car coming the other way (personal responsibility).

On Tuesday she called, the water was coming up quickly behind her work, could I come and get her? Unfortunately all roads out were blocked and manned to protect people from themselves, one road I knew the water was only 300mm deep and not running, so I pulled up and spoke to the guy and told him the circumstances and that I knew the road well, he agreed to let me through but said if you get into trouble you are on your own (personal responsibilty) cool, I have no problem with that, I assured him I would be back in 15 minutes.

At the other end I had to pull up and explained to the next guy what had happened and that after I picked up my wife I would be straight back. It all worked out fine, as a matter of fact I was able to fill both of them them in on the conditions for others, never in any danger.

Just read about a guy who wanted to save a Joey that was washing past and drowning, I think it was somewhere near Ipswich, the police threatened to arrest him if he tried to help it, he took a calculated risk (personal responsibility mixed with a bit heroism) and pulled the joey out, apparently the police had a change of heart.

There would undoubtedly be many more deaths from this event if people had just played it safe and let the "experts" do it.

We have brought everything down to the lowest common denominator and use that principal to protect ourselves from ourselves, and we rely on those lowest common denominator rules to keep us safe, sad. :-(

As an example, over the years I have driven in many Asian countries, West Africa, Papua New Guinea and India and if you rely on the few road rules that are enforced in these places to keep you safe then your probably going to die, you drive expecting trucks, cars and pedestrians to came at you from all angles at any time, that's how you survive, it can be scary but I actually find it satisfying and enjoyable to live using your wits and common sense.

I'm probably on my own here with this train of thought, but that's life.

Damn, this is the longest post I've ever done. :coffee:
 
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#2 ·
This process has been going on for hundreds of years. Doing it yourself is necessary when there's nobody else. Think of the early settlers.

The 'Good Old Days' weren't called that for nothing.

Not only are we being more and more regulated, we are (generally) becoming less competent.
I know a young bloke who called a carpenter in to fix a sticking door. He didn't know how to and didn't even try. He had bugger all tools as well. He might as well be a girl.
 
#3 ·
yep that is exactly the way i see things. people are becoming too lazy now willing to try, not willing to help and not even interested in the experience.
i just said the other day to my mrs. how fu**ed are humans. we were hunter gatherers and had to keep fit to survive, now we built computers so we dont have to do things, then we had to invent gyms so that we can make ourselves fit and healthy agian, just do a hard days work for once you lazy wan***s.

this made me laugh at the time. i had an apprentice bout 2 year ago. he was 16, didn't know how to wash a car
 
#5 ·
I guess it all comes down to when something goes wrong. People seem to need to blame someone else for their misfortune (even if it was their own doings). Unfortunately since the law is cut an dried everyone then sues everyone else and now no-one will let anyone do anything else for fear of being sued.
 
#6 ·
we have lost our australian way.
were all doomed to americanisms and all their rubbish. totally agree with ya buddy.
im only a young bloke but technology is destroying this country and possibly the world. yes its making it easier but easier is what is making today the way it is.
bring back the notepad and an abacus. and let people learn by their stupidity dont stop them let em decide for emself if its right or wrong and let them suffer the consiquences.
 
#8 ·
I've been giving this very situation a lot of thought in recent months, mostly pertaining to workplace safety etc.

I work for a Train company and upon reading through all our instructions/depot specific guidelines etc and came to the conclusion

a) I couldn't remember 25% of them, so I was at some stage during the course of a shift breaking a procedure.
b) If I actually worked to rule persee, nothing would get accomplished in my shift.
 
#9 ·
agreed. When trying to get to the mother in laws to clean the number of roads that were closed off to everyone was amazing - the water wasn't that deep. One spot was outside a business and wasn't manned by police. The business moved the barrier aside, put a sign up saying water over road at end of street (there were houses in the dry section that people needed to access) Some people went through took a look and turned around, I followed a commodore through, water was going over it's bonnet but he took it steady and it made it out the other side easy (he did send his passenger through first, was just over his knees).

They would have been far better off having some sort of indicator as to depth if no keep left or other standard height signs weren't around and letting people make up their own mind (unless it was deep enough to cause risk of drowning the occupants or to conceal bridge railings etc) If their insurance didn't cover them because they were idiots that is their own fault.

Fast moving water is completely different of course, I'm all for blocking roads with water rushing over them :)

Gone are the days where you had to take responsibility for your own actions. WAY too much cotton wool around
 
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