|
Are we responsible for our actions? Is the natural-born athlete responsible for excelling in sports? Is the natural-born killer responsible for the death of his victims? Is Shaq responsible for his height? Is a person responsible for running a red light if they were not paying attention? The answers to these questions seem to vary depending on the circumstances. From our society�s views the answers to these questions are as follows: everyone is responsible for their actions, because we have �free-will�; a person who excels at sports does so because of hard work that they chose to do, and thus must be honored; a murderer is responsible for the death of his victims, because the murderer chose to kill, and thus, must be punished; Shaq is not responsible for his height, for he has no control or choice as to how tall he is; and a person who runs a red light, even if they did not see that the light was red, is responsible for not seeing it, because they should have chosen to pay more attention while driving. Responsibility seems to reflect what our society deems as �right� or �wrong.� It is another tool to condition, with reward and punishment, the society as to how individuals ought to act. But, what if there is no such thing as �responsibility? What if an individual is not capable of �being responsible� for any action they perform, because ultimately an individual will do what is in their nature?
This website will look at the ideal of �responsibility.� We will do this through the fantasy theme of criticism. First we will look at what is entailed with doing a fantasy theme analysis. Using this type of analysis will show how �responsibility� is taught and created, and then we will see an example of how a fantasy adjusts to new truths that reveal themselves to a society. We will then define "responsibility," before analyzing a recent article written by Glynn R. Birch, the National President of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), that discusses the irresponsibility of Paris Hilton. Then we will look at two contrary beliefs about �responsibility.� The first will be more particular to the example of being responsible after an individual consumes alcohol, and the second is a more general outlook of �responsibility.� Conducting this type of analysis on �responsibility� will show that �responsibility� is merely a fantasy that is not a true view as to how our world �really� is. |
|
