Advertising

Just wanted to toss into this match the point that the ad was for the children affected by the hurricane. So, with that in mind and the arguments you've already made, Stephan, lets go further: I agree with the idea of "you are where you are because (on some level) that's where you wanted to and decided to be," but what about the kids? I mean, a resident of the 9th ward may have lacked the motivation to get out of the way of the looming danger of "the big one", but what say does his/her 3 year old have in the matter? The footage from Katrina aftermath that will always haunt me was of a mother with her ~1-year-old who was limp with hunger and dehydration. I was angry at the circumstances, but knew the mom would be fine and held some level of responsibility for their situation, but the baby...

...same goes for disabled, etc.

The way I see it, yes it's important to hold capable adults responsible (and children on different levels) but we also, as human beings (not as members of a given society or subjects of a government) are responsible (NOT required, mind you) for those who cannot make such decisions for themselves.

Of course, next time I see a 12-month-old buying a Greyhound ticket to Atlantic City, maybe I'll change my mind...