Replies: 6
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All-In [35594]
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Real Discussion On Personal Responsibility (non-political)
Jul 14, 2020, 4:39 PM
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What are your thoughts on personal responsibility? Is there going to be any such thing in the future? I'm not talking just about masks and social distancing, but about your personal finances, your debt load, your salary, your home value, your cars, your cell phones, retirement, insurance, education, etc. It used to be up to the individual to make these things happen. They were all interrelated. That way of thinking seems to be changing. It seems to me that the going movement in the USA is towards societal responsibility. I get the feeling that society in general is attempting to move away from personal responsibility. People seem more willing to be told what to do, and what they need, and what they can have. And I see this on both sides of the political spectrum, probably more so on the left, but definitely growing on the right as well. Being a business owner, I like to rely on myself and no one else. Is government going to lead society into this shared responsibility, or is society going to lead the government into this type of shared system? It feels like it's coming and there's nothing that can be done to stop it. Please make this a civil discussion.
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Orange Blooded [4365]
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Re: Real Discussion On Personal Responsibility (non-political)
Jul 14, 2020, 5:08 PM
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I think it might be helpful to view this along a continuum, with absolute individual responsibility at one end and absolute societal responsibility at the other. As with most things, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. There are plenty of things that individuals should take responsibility for, but there are some things that we would do better collectively.
Healthcare insurance might be a good example. Most European nations are getting far better results for their people as a whole by having some sort of national healthcare system. And since injury and sickness if often disconnected from personal actions (it is definitely unpredictable) , that seems a better way to go.
Like consideration of many issues, the extremes or absolutes are not the way to go. Life is dynamic and seeking the proper balance of considerations seems to lead to the best consequences for the most people.
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Orange Blooded [4513]
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Re: Real Discussion On Personal Responsibility (non-political)
Jul 14, 2020, 6:16 PM
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" And since injury and sickness if often disconnected from personal actions (it is definitely unpredictable)"
Actually, something in the neighborhood of 20% of US healthcare spending results from complications due to obesity. Another 20% or so comes from complications due to smoking.
Those are not exactly "disconnected from personal actions".
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Legend [19528]
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No way to discuss individualism,
Jul 14, 2020, 5:12 PM
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personal responsibility and comunal assistance vs societal and governmental involvement/support without bringing politics into it.
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110%er [9903]
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^ This ^***
Jul 14, 2020, 6:09 PM
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All-In [43437]
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How far do you want personal responsibility to go?
Jul 14, 2020, 8:06 PM
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If someone gets COVID and can’t pay for healthcare, can the hospital refuse to treat them?
If someone carelessly transmits COVID to someone else, should they be held responsible for damages?
My questions aren’t meant disrespectfully to you. I agree with you about society generally being more about societal responsibility over personal responsibility than it used to be.
With regard to COVID, I would be fine with people not caring about masks or distancing if they only had the potential to harm themselves. But they don’t. Their decision potentially affects others as well as the healthcare system.
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All-In [35594]
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Re: How far do you want personal responsibility to go?
Jul 14, 2020, 8:22 PM
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We are always vulnerable to catching something from the general public. I caught the flu back in December, and I felt horrible for 5 days and not right for 1 month. But never did I feel like it was someone else's fault that I got it. That is my responsibility to keep from getting it. I did not take all the precautions I needed to.
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