I have been trying to come up with a name for our times. You know... the 80s was the "me decade." The nineties was the decade of the victim. I think I've hit on it: this is the age of non-responsibility: "I am not responsible."

The seeds of non-responsibility, however, were planted in the 70s when automobile insurance companies developed the concept they called "no-fault." They stopped trying to determine who was at fault for an accident. It was the beginning of the end of judgmentalism. Each company paid for their customer's damage, and everybody went home happy. Or so we thought. Nobody was at fault; nobody was responsible. Of course, everybody's insurance premium went up, and there was little we could do about it. But we are all treated equally. We pay the premiums; but, it is "no-fault" - we are not responsible.

The 80s brought us no-fault divorce. It is no coincidence that the divorce rate rapidly rose to 50%. But... nobody was responsible; a silver lining to the dark cloud matrimonial mayhem. You know: "Don't worry; be happy!"

Baseball player Darryl Strawberry was arrested after he left the scene of a traffic accident he had caused. His explanation: he was taking prescription drugs. Never mind that he was not supposed to drive while taking the drugs. A guy's gotta' drive, ya' know; and this, after all, was Darryl Strawberry. The drugs caused the accident. He, of course, was not responsible. Yes, it is a natural extension of the "I'm a victim" syndrome of the 90s.

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