I used to think the same way. But life taught me that responsibility is a fairy tale only for the bottom 90% — a story told to keep them obedient, hardworking, and self-blaming. Meanwhile, the top 10% rewrite the rules, avoid accountability, and externalize blame when things go wrong. And if you’re not in that elite circle, you either pay the price for their mistakes — or you’re told there’s just nothing you can do about it.
Ironically, finding ways to spin stories like that IS one way of taking responsibility, even if it's only a way to take responsibility for the narratives that are created after things happen.
Because those narratives play an important role in the next outcome.
The error is when you expect them to play for your team. Most people will (at best) be on the same team as those they interact with directly on a typical day. Loyalty 2-3 steps down a chain of command tends to be mostly theoretic. That's just human nature.
So what happens when the "#¤% hts the fan, is that those near the top take responsbility for themselves, their families and their direct reports and managers first. Meaning they externalize damage to elsewhere, which would include "you and me".
Now this is baseline human nature. Indeed, this is what natural empathy dictates. Because empathy as an emotions is primarily triggered by those we interact with directly.
Exceptions exist. Some leaders really are idealists, governed more by the theories/principles they believe in than the basic human impulses.
But those are the minority, and this may aven be a sign of autism or something similar where empathy for oneself and one's immediate surrounding is disabled or toned down.
> I used to think the same way. But life taught me that responsibility is a fairy tale only for the bottom 90% — a story told to keep them obedient, hardworking, and self-blaming.
I think you're missing the big picture. You're focusing on your conspiracy theory that the hypothetical 10% are the only ones valuing responsibility as a manipulation tactic. However, what do you do when anyone, being it a team member or a supermarket or an online retailer or a cafe employee fails to meet your bar of responsibility? Do you double down on their services, or do you adapt so that their failure no longer affects your day?
You've put together this conspiracy that only higher ups value responsibility, and only as a crowd control strategy. If you take a step back and look at your scenario, you'll notice that it is based on how you are in a position where you are accountable to them. Is that supposed to mean that middle management is not accountable for anything at all? Is no mom and pop shop accountable for anything? Why is Elon Musk crying crocodile tears over how unfair the world is and for having been kicked out of DOGE and the world stopping buying Tesla cars?
Richard Field (Lehman Brothers) walked away with 500-1000 Million USD after causing the worldwide financial crisis.
Trump bankrupted multiple corporations, impacting the lives of thousands of workers and their families. He is president now.
RFK Junior's budget cuts stopped important work on HIV and cancer research, delaying finding a cure or better treatment, which will cause pain and suffering for millions of people. He just sacked the entire vaccine committee. He still is secretary of health.
I would go on, but my stomach ulcer is already flaming up again.
The only people who face the consequences of their actions are you and me. The wealthy shit on your morals of taking responsibility. That's not a conspiracy theory.
I used to think the same way. But life taught me that responsibility is a fairy tale only for the bottom 90% — a story told to keep them obedient, hardworking, and self-blaming. Meanwhile, the top 10% rewrite the rules, avoid accountability, and externalize blame when things go wrong. And if you’re not in that elite circle, you either pay the price for their mistakes — or you’re told there’s just nothing you can do about it.