So, here’s a fun new issue for me to talk about this week. Well, I use the word “new” loosely, because this is something that has clearly become so pervasive in society that it pretty much is part and parcel of everything. What I’m talking about is the apparent difficulty that people seem to have with taking responsibility for their actions and decisions.

It seems to me that the way our society is run today is such that there is always a way to pawn off one’s mistakes on someone, or something else – to weasel out of consequences, so to speak. The all-encompassing response to that would be, to quote the King of Pop himself, “When they say `why?’ . tell `em that it’s human nature .”

Let’s take some examples. I think it would be fitting to start with the most prominent news story, not to mention the butt of every dry joke in recent weeks.

Former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay has finally responded to a subpoena to appear before Congress to testify on the collapse of Enron. This occurs after Lay initially refused to appear because he was afraid of a “prosecutorial” tone at the proceedings. And yet, some lawmakers still expect that he will plead the Fifth in his appearance before Congress. Obviously this guy is afraid of being incriminated.

Lay was one of the former top Enron execs that is said to have sold millions of dollars worth of stock upon the realization that the company was about to tank, all the while barring employees from dumping theirs. With all the information available about the dealing at Enron, it’s pretty clear that the people who were in charge need to be taking responsibility.

That of course hasn’t happened. What has happened is that Kenneth Lay refuses to show up before Congress, and J. Clifford Baxter, his fellow former Enron executive, commits suicide. Really, so far the only thing these guys and their cronies have done is try to avoid telling the truth about their screw-ups, lest they be forced to suffer the consequences.

The next example would be John Walker Lindh, the notorious “American Taliban.” Here’s someone who left his home in California and heads to Pakistan. At some point he ends up being captured with a group of Taliban militia, and is charged with conspiracy to kill Americans. But his parents in an on-camera interview say he loves America. Never mind that he reportedly confessed to having been trained in an al-Qaida camp.

His lawyers claim that his confessions are false, coerced by the FBI. Never mind that he was captured in Afghanistan, fighting voluntarily with a group who had killed thousands of Americans. Yeah, clearly we’re talking about an innocent man here – a true patriot. I don’t understand what would make this guy or his parents believe they can find a way for him to escape the results of his treachery.

In another instance, there was recently the law student in Virginia who went on a shooting rampage. Most news agencies were right on the ball, quick to identify him as a Nigerian student. However, not so prominently mentioned is the fact that even though he may originally be a Nigerian, he is a naturalized American.

It’s real easy to claim people when they achieve something positive, but of course if he shoots his dean, then if at all possible, he’s suddenly from a foreign land. Like it or not, that guy is legally just as American as Albert Einstein or Hakeem Olajuwon.

Everywhere, there’s evidence of people trying to find a way around taking responsibility for their actions. The rich and famous routinely buy their way out of prison in exchange for some probation and maybe a couple of lousy public service announcements.

Other criminals blame their parents, their families and society for their acts of selfish stupidity. School shooters kill their classmates because they are taunted. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.

I believe when they say “Why?” – sorry Mike – it’s not human nature.

It’s a simple case of dodging accountability. It’s a common phenomenon, and it’s something that we as a society are all too fond of, something we ought to own up to. Hey, it’s all about taking responsibility – for not taking responsibility.

Emeka Anyanwu is a senior in electrical engineering from Ames.