While I agree in spirit with the crux of this column, it should be pointed out that 'perfect storm' has a meterological definition that has been around at least since the 1930's well before the infamous October storm. Has 'Perfect Storm' contaminated by inaccurate overuse? Absolutely, just as 'ignorant' has become a perjorative term, rather than a helpful definition.
Of all of the perfect storms you've portrayed, it is the perfect cop-out that sent Tamir Rice to a children's grave that should stay with us the longest. I know it will for me for the rest of m life.
3
This is a very thoughtful discussion in many ways and its overall point is indisputable. But in its reference to the shooting of Tamir Rice it glosses over the facts. The notion that encounters between police and apparently armed and dangerous suspects should not result in tragedy is preposterous. The police could not know that Rice was 12 or that the device he was holding was an Airsoft replica. Both the writer who rejects the term "perfect storm" and the prosecutor who used it are wrong. The "storm" was a culture of gun violence, poorly trained police, the celebration of gun culture in the inner city (NWA anyone?) and a federal government in the thrall of the gun lobby. To suggest otherwise is to commit the very errors the writer accuses Junger of. Take a look at an Airsoft Beretta image with the orange muzzle painted over and tell us how you would have responded with the information the dispatcher sent. There are preventable events. And then there are tragedies all of us bear guilt for.
1
This essay is remarkable, clear, concise and so true!
My Village of Pinecrest, Miami FL 33156, is using this 'act of God' concept to justify filling in INLAND sumpland at a neighborhood's expense ...
The images show, yet off officials deny ... have denied, now from sumpland to MOAT LAND.
http://pinecrestfloods.blogspot.com/
"The ubiquity of ‘‘perfect storm’’ today no doubt has something to do with its mythic heft, but also with the way in which it lets people off the hook for their all-too-human actions...."
GREED.
Thank you NYT and CHARLES HOMANS.
My Village of Pinecrest, Miami FL 33156, is using this 'act of God' concept to justify filling in INLAND sumpland at a neighborhood's expense ...
The images show, yet off officials deny ... have denied, now from sumpland to MOAT LAND.
http://pinecrestfloods.blogspot.com/
"The ubiquity of ‘‘perfect storm’’ today no doubt has something to do with its mythic heft, but also with the way in which it lets people off the hook for their all-too-human actions...."
GREED.
Thank you NYT and CHARLES HOMANS.
3
January 18 was the Federal Holiday commemorating the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.I've been reading and writing as I do and learning much more about the Reverend King.
On Google, I found a copy of his wonderful Commencement Address for Oberlin College in 1965. He was out front early on. The premise for his address was 'Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.'
One of the many stories he told to support his premise was about Rip Van Winkle. He said the most striking fact about Mr. Winkle is not that he slept 20 years but that he slept through the American Revolution - a revolution that would change the course of history. He says that anyone who feels that he can live in isolation today is sleeping. Anyone who feels that we can live without being concerned about other individuals and our nation is sleeping through a revolution.
The address was long and beautiful. But, I stopped because my point was made. The operative words in his address for me are such as sleep, awake, remain awake. Dr. King supported my ongoing political assertion.
We have the most important Presidential election coming in my time. Congress is asleep, the American electorate is asleep. It is vital that the American people wake up and listen and remain awake so as to be prepared to vote for the best candidate for President of The United States of America, to make Congress perform to their job description so as to deal with the many critical issues facing us today.
On Google, I found a copy of his wonderful Commencement Address for Oberlin College in 1965. He was out front early on. The premise for his address was 'Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.'
One of the many stories he told to support his premise was about Rip Van Winkle. He said the most striking fact about Mr. Winkle is not that he slept 20 years but that he slept through the American Revolution - a revolution that would change the course of history. He says that anyone who feels that he can live in isolation today is sleeping. Anyone who feels that we can live without being concerned about other individuals and our nation is sleeping through a revolution.
The address was long and beautiful. But, I stopped because my point was made. The operative words in his address for me are such as sleep, awake, remain awake. Dr. King supported my ongoing political assertion.
We have the most important Presidential election coming in my time. Congress is asleep, the American electorate is asleep. It is vital that the American people wake up and listen and remain awake so as to be prepared to vote for the best candidate for President of The United States of America, to make Congress perform to their job description so as to deal with the many critical issues facing us today.
1
Thanks for this absolutely brilliant essay!
We desperately need clear thinkers such as Charlie Homans who can help us see how the flimsy use of a weather analogy gets used by cynics in powerful positions to exonerate wrongdoings with tragic consequences.
Thanks also for connecting this to our collective accountability for dangerous changes to earth's climate due to emissions of fossil carbon, and the increasingly obvious and damaging consequences this is having.
We desperately need clear thinkers such as Charlie Homans who can help us see how the flimsy use of a weather analogy gets used by cynics in powerful positions to exonerate wrongdoings with tragic consequences.
Thanks also for connecting this to our collective accountability for dangerous changes to earth's climate due to emissions of fossil carbon, and the increasingly obvious and damaging consequences this is having.
"In circumstances like these, the perfect storm is the perfect cop-out. It precludes the possibility that people could have done better, could be better."
Well said.
Well said.
13
In other words, "perfect storm" = inevitable consequences of the choices we make.
4
Perhaps, McGinty will resign now to "spend more time with his family." Or better yet the voters will kick him out of office. If this was such a perfect storm why do similar atrocities keep happening all over the country.
1
Thank you for your insights on this frequently used expression!
4
If the shooting of this child is not prosecuted, police should not be allowed to have weapons of any sort. The atrocity of the incompetence, the mental defectiveness of the officer, the laziness and corruption of the police department are the perfect storm.
11
The events of these past couple years have been hard to watch, hard to accept. For me, out of all the needless brutality and death, Tamir's shooting was the most upsetting -- because that video showed how fast these guys shot him -- without any verbal exchange whatsoever -- and also because of the way they treated his sister afterwards. But the fact that we can't even get an indictment is insane. We need the Black Lives Matter movement for one simple reason: because black lives do not matter in this country . . . nearly enough.
12
Don't forget to add two more elements to the "Perfect Storm" - a toy manufacturer that is allowed to sell toys aimed at children that are perfect copies of real guns and someone giving the "replica" to the boy. Throw those errors in the pile with the others.
11
Thank you for writing on this abused phrase. (I've seethed at it's use since hearing it applied to basic accounting errors in the early '00s, as well.) “Black Swan” is a similar example. When someone says either, I hear, “I'm intellectually lazy, or intentionally trying to deceive you.”
When a passenger airplane crashes, no one says, “It must have been a perfect storm.” Instead, experts get on with the hard work of understanding the causes (which, in complex systems, are regularly several) so that recurrences can be prevented.
When a passenger airplane crashes, no one says, “It must have been a perfect storm.” Instead, experts get on with the hard work of understanding the causes (which, in complex systems, are regularly several) so that recurrences can be prevented.
9
I think that Mr. Homans makes some excellent points, particularly about the way that specific phrases and bits of language can be insidiously used to evade responsibility. George Carlin once said in relation to euphemisms that we think in terms of language, and as a result, language influences the quality of our thinking. We had better do a little more of what Mr. Homans does in this article if we want to be better equipped to analyze social issues and solve problems honestly.
7
I realize that it's only when something goes horribly wrong that we hear tapes of emergency dispatchers taking and relaying information. But in the tapes we are privy to I am often surprised (and dismayed) by the poor listening and communication skills of the dispatchers. In phoning my local 911 service, I have encountered dispatchers who were professional and efficient, but also some who clearly did not listen to what I was reporting. I know it can be a high-stress job. I do wonder how these poor performers slip through the cracks, though.
I put the blame for Tamir Rice's death squarely on the dispatcher.
I put the blame for Tamir Rice's death squarely on the dispatcher.
5
Many thanks to Charles Homans for his research about and his explanation of the term "perfect storm". Like the term "Act of God" or "Act of War" which limits the liability of one's insurance company, using the term "perfect storm" is an attempt to limit individual responsibility for actions which could be punished.
The actions of the individual who shot and killed Tamir Rice were particularly egregious; the time will come--not soon enough-- when those in law enforcement who are given weapons and the authority to use them by taxpayers will be held accountable in public for their decision-making in every fatal shootings.
The author adds a point that we humans tell ourselves we are living in a time when the complexity of the systems which seem to control our lives are beyond our ability to comprehend, explain or control thus a "perfect storm". In fact most of these systems--like Enron's-- seem to be constructed and seem to fail due to human thinking which has been a part of being human for eons. Thus Greed, Envy, Selfishness will bring the next powerful "hurricane" of actions which governments and individuals will use to seek relief from responsibility and punishment as in the past.
Great essay which I will think of often while reading the NYT and articles such as Gov. Synder's less than acceptable "perfect storm" apology which attempted to create the illusion Flint's water was poisoned without any human at fault: only "government" failed.
The actions of the individual who shot and killed Tamir Rice were particularly egregious; the time will come--not soon enough-- when those in law enforcement who are given weapons and the authority to use them by taxpayers will be held accountable in public for their decision-making in every fatal shootings.
The author adds a point that we humans tell ourselves we are living in a time when the complexity of the systems which seem to control our lives are beyond our ability to comprehend, explain or control thus a "perfect storm". In fact most of these systems--like Enron's-- seem to be constructed and seem to fail due to human thinking which has been a part of being human for eons. Thus Greed, Envy, Selfishness will bring the next powerful "hurricane" of actions which governments and individuals will use to seek relief from responsibility and punishment as in the past.
Great essay which I will think of often while reading the NYT and articles such as Gov. Synder's less than acceptable "perfect storm" apology which attempted to create the illusion Flint's water was poisoned without any human at fault: only "government" failed.
1
Also, in 2003, Ben Affleck cited "a perfect storm" as to why the movie Gigli was such a spectacular failure. (To his credit, he said one of the components of the storm was that the movie wasn't good.)
Ooh, what a great piece! As a long-time General Semanticist I think the words we use to talk about things have a huge impact on how we actually think about those things. Good work!
4
Very well said. In the contexts described, the phrase "the perfect storm" allows its speaker to bear even less responsibility than the frustratingly passive "mistakes were made."
4
The "perfect storm" metaphor does, I think, reflect the feeling of many that we have become powerless against the interlocking dishonesty and misconduct of our political, governmental, business, and law-enforcement institutions. It seems very much as though many politicians have no interest whatsoever in the general welfare, and voter apathy and gerrymandering allows them to do whatever they want to enrich themselves. It's a dark time in the US. The enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders and even for Donald Trump, unqualified as he is, reflects great general dissatisfaction with the status quo, when the powers that control us seem no longer answerable to the public or to the law.
What a perfect article. I am in awe of the writing and thinking and in terror of the implications!
Thx for pointing out the weakness in the term "Perfect Storm". In the book, as well as the movie, there were dozens of very human decisions that contributed to the outcome.
Great writing, great observations. Thanks!
At least Bill didn't try to explain Monica that way.
I totally agree. Another cop-out I have grown weary of is the overuse of the word "tragedy". Every school shooting, every gun fatality accident of a child is deemed a tragedy. A tragedy is a situation that arises of an unavoidable flaw in the character or event that is beyond anyone's control to change. Think Hamlet. I object to the use of the word "tragedy" because, with proper gun regulation and education, we could control or at least lessen these horrible events. Instead, we shake our collective heads sorrowfully, bemoan the fact that some "good guy with a gun" left it under their couch cushion for their 3-year old to find, and call it a tragedy. And then we pray for the victims. As if we couldn't have done something, anything, to prevent the situation, as if it was all just beyond our control. When really, we choose not to change it. I prefer to think of our lack of gun regulation as a "travesty" -- of the freedom to live, study, worship and attend a movie without fear of being assaulted by bullets, accidental or otherwise.
11
Well said.
Excellent example of how language influences thought, and usually subconsciously, allowing the speaker to manipulate the reader/listener to serve the speaker's ends. Thank you for this article.
3
You know what they say: "if you give a moose a muffin..."
And in the hope of avoiding snarkism, allow me to explain.
From genuine crooks to casual slackers to bumbling-generally-well-intentioned-mistake-makers, we allow instances of failure and wrong-doing to go unpunished for a variety of reasons. Then we act surprised when the transgressors go further down the line of wrongness and they expect to be forgiven again. The pattern repeats, with the iterations stretching the limits so that what was once reprehensible now seems benign. Repeat.
Its similar to good parenting. Set clear limits early on and use them. Be fair, just, respectful, and consistent, and behavior tends to be better.
I'll sign off with a smirk: it all starts with how we deal with Speed Limits. Kids watch us BREAK THE LAW and act out several odd behaviors: Oh, that law is not that important; Oh, I can do it because XYZ.
Think about it.
And in the hope of avoiding snarkism, allow me to explain.
From genuine crooks to casual slackers to bumbling-generally-well-intentioned-mistake-makers, we allow instances of failure and wrong-doing to go unpunished for a variety of reasons. Then we act surprised when the transgressors go further down the line of wrongness and they expect to be forgiven again. The pattern repeats, with the iterations stretching the limits so that what was once reprehensible now seems benign. Repeat.
Its similar to good parenting. Set clear limits early on and use them. Be fair, just, respectful, and consistent, and behavior tends to be better.
I'll sign off with a smirk: it all starts with how we deal with Speed Limits. Kids watch us BREAK THE LAW and act out several odd behaviors: Oh, that law is not that important; Oh, I can do it because XYZ.
Think about it.
"There’s a grim symmetry to the fact that we have come to use meteorology to explain away collective human behavior at a time when collective human behavior increasingly explains meteorology."
What an absolutely perfect depiction!
What an absolutely perfect depiction!
2
Both collective human behavior and meteorology are examples of large ensembles of particles that interact according to the laws of physics. There is no responsibility - only the illusion of willful action.
Hmmm...accounting or accountability? Guess what wins hands down?
Perfect storm or a series of unfortunate events. Perhaps the phrase could be replaced with lemony snicket.
This is so well written and thought out with current and historical examples revealing how often institutions/people like to avoid responsibility. Our age is a perfect storm of fainted ignorance.
The outrageous failure of the grand jury to indict police who killed Tamir Rice is certainly no "perfect storm." When police can kill a 12 year old in two seconds after seeing him, it is clearly murder. And child murder at that.
2
Actually "perfect storm" of human error is a good explanation and partial exculpation in the Tamir Rice shooting. The term "perfect storm" refers to the occurrence of independent events which, taken together, create an exponential (and usually very bad) result. Sometimes really bad things happen; the NYT should have the maturity and wisdom to recognize chaos; not everything is black and white.
Charles, instead of retrospectively assigning exclusive fault to the police, let's employ some foresight and ask: What parent will permit their child (of any race) to play with a toy handgun, in public, in a high-crime area?
Right there, we'll know where to look for the next potential tragedy - and possibly, prevent it.
Right there, we'll know where to look for the next potential tragedy - and possibly, prevent it.
Best essay I've read in a while. Something we've all been feeling but have not articulated. Any thoughtful college student willing to give credit, find some more examples and provide a theological and political theory for personal responsibility would have a smashing junior thesis! Any political leader who can marry the corrupt corporate executive to the individual who refuses to buy health insurance might, well, get ignored.
Gorgeously written; the guilty are invoking God ("Perfect Storm") to excuse their crime -- including their current crimes against the environment. We need prosecution, regulation and personal responsibility.
We can all be Enron.
The company had pioneered carbon dioxide emissions trading.
If we introduced that on a national scale, we can have Enron practices and results on a national scale.
The company had pioneered carbon dioxide emissions trading.
If we introduced that on a national scale, we can have Enron practices and results on a national scale.
the sin was not eating the apple it was not taking responsibility for it....even when i hear people admitting guilt they they still don't own it. frankly i wish we would stopp trying to attach blame..we're all guilty as your final line points out...what can we do to make it better?
A perfect storm is merely a metaphor that can be an excuse or fairly describe the combination of factors which led to a terrible occasion. I haven't read enough about the Rice matter to reach a sound judgment and maybe I never will. What appalls me is that so many people, white and black, seem to base their conclusions on skin color. While from what I know of Eric Garner's death, I have formed an opinion that at the least manslaughter should have been charged, at the same time, having watched the George Zimmerman trial, I feel he was correctly exonerated and never should have been charged, though he continues to be persecuted as a murderer by the press and commentators. I feel the same way about Officer Darren Wilson, who killed Michael Brown. I haven't made up my mind about Freddie Gray because the public has nowhere close to enough evidence to make a judgment but I do suspect that there has been political pressure brought against the defendants by a seemingly anti-police mayor and prosecutor based on Gray's skin color (though not the police, some of whom were black too). Unfortunately, when reformers/protesters demonize people like Zimmerman or Wilson and say that Martin and Brown were murdered, they hurt their own argument for reform where it may be in many case justifiably called for and also cause cynicism of cases that should be criminal.
1
Wow, what a well written article, which is really about appropriating a phrase in the aid of cognitive dissonance. It's not my fault because of the unlikely convergence of unforeseeable events. Except as you point out, the events are foreseeble and often the product of common negligence or active malfeasance. The unforeseen, but certainly foreseeable, thing is getting caught, also a product of cognitive dissonance. I have the same problem with the phrase "calling someone out" which in my mind I always equated with something as grave as a duel. But now, the slightest possible criticism constitutes calling someone out. Interesting to see how creatively language is used by humans to dodge responsibility.
Nonsense. This cop just walked away from a murder. We know it. The city knows it. The PD knows it. But, most importantly, He knows it.
6
One of the primary obligations of leadership is the anticipation of the "perfect storm" and the reduction of it's impact. For a leader to blame an act of God, or the perfect storm or whatever, is just a way to avoid responsibility. The correct answer is "It occurred on my watch and I must bear responsibility". We can learn from military leadership models. Why is important and must be reckoned with, but responsibility and the consequences of failure belong to individuals.
When i hear the words "perfect storm" i imagine a collection of things (events, statistics, whatever) coming together to produce an outcome. And all the while knowing that objectivity is what is needed to keep it sensible. Thus, a "Perfect Storm" for me is this amazingly unique 'thing' where moments and actions or things, once again, or 'whatever' occurred. Period. It's not something to be overthought.
1
Well, since The Big Dude made the universe, set all in motion, it must bear some responsibility for this fine kettle of fish.
1
There is another factor. The orange toy gun indicator had been removed. For those who think it is simple to blame the policemen, that's an important detail.
RichD: I don't understand your comment.
Are you saying that the toy gun was removed from the scene of the killing? I had not seen that in the reports of the killing. What do you mean by "those who think it simple to blame the policeman."?
Are you saying that the toy gun was removed from the scene of the killing? I had not seen that in the reports of the killing. What do you mean by "those who think it simple to blame the policeman."?
People all over the world, faced with mechanisms and consequences too complex to understand, are finally coming back to the humble state of acceptance, to a state where they are willing to say "I don't know why it happened, I don't know how it unfolded and I don't know how to help".
Sure, they may put it in terms you don't find acceptable, but nonetheless, it is nothing but humble acceptance of one's "minutely measurable" impact on the world. In other words, most of the world seems to progress without us having much say in it. It is not, as you say, a "cop-out".
However, if you believe that you do bear responsibility for the world, then maybe you should spend your life trying to make it better, instead of simply talking about how others are not doing their part. If not, this whole article is simply a "cop-out".
It's easy to judge others, much harder to accept them (and yourself) as they are. So you can start by accepting everyone (including yourself) and everything for what it is. Then, when you have truly accepted the way things are, and no longer feel the need to complain, then you can set about making the world a better place.
It's simple: As long as you believe you have something to gain from this world, your actions will be tainted by selfishness. This is also called 'conflict of interest'. First, give up interest in the world. Then you can help it.
This is the essence of every religious teaching. The world is taking a spiritual turn. Try and recognize it.
Sure, they may put it in terms you don't find acceptable, but nonetheless, it is nothing but humble acceptance of one's "minutely measurable" impact on the world. In other words, most of the world seems to progress without us having much say in it. It is not, as you say, a "cop-out".
However, if you believe that you do bear responsibility for the world, then maybe you should spend your life trying to make it better, instead of simply talking about how others are not doing their part. If not, this whole article is simply a "cop-out".
It's easy to judge others, much harder to accept them (and yourself) as they are. So you can start by accepting everyone (including yourself) and everything for what it is. Then, when you have truly accepted the way things are, and no longer feel the need to complain, then you can set about making the world a better place.
It's simple: As long as you believe you have something to gain from this world, your actions will be tainted by selfishness. This is also called 'conflict of interest'. First, give up interest in the world. Then you can help it.
This is the essence of every religious teaching. The world is taking a spiritual turn. Try and recognize it.
1
What a profound comment, Cow.
Interesting use of the word "interest."
This almost makes Donald Trump sound like a straight shooter. He doesn't use a complicated excuse or foggy explanation, he just outright lies. It's refreshingly dishonest.
1
This is nothing new. In my course on disasters I refuse to let the students use the term "accident" . As you learn in Kung Fu Panda There are no accidents. Wheter there is legally attributable fault is a different question.
Also THERE ARE NO STRAY BULLETS
Also THERE ARE NO STRAY BULLETS
1
.... or NOT so minutely measurable quantity, lies the signature of our own individual responsibility.
The the death of the child, Tamir Rice, was a tragic very preventable mistake, that the police are now presenting as inevitable given the circumstances. (The so called "perfect storm" defense.) Unfortunately, the police made so many professional mistakes, that resulted in Mr. Rice's death, that should not absolve them from all accountability.
There are plenty of circumstance where multiple factors could lead to a conclusion of mortality. It's the police who are, so called, "professionals". And, if they are to be considered professionals then they have to be accountable for mistakes they make. Mr. Rice, a twelve year old child, is dead, shot and killed by an experienced, trained, professional police officer, in broad daylight, and no one is to be held accountable? There were multiple factors of consideration? And, that's the excuse?
Charles Homans, "Robert Rubin, who, as Bill Clinton’s Treasury secretary, had a hand in the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act that precipitated the crisis......"
Please stop with the repeal of Glass-Steagall as the cause of the Great Recession. As Catherine Rampell wrote in today's Washington Post, "Glass-Steagall, or the lack thereof, is a red herring."
The the time of the repeal of Glass-Steagall, the distinction between commercial and investment banks had blurred. The real problem was that there was a shadow banking, including investment banks with no commercial banking side and then various financial institutions led giant hedge funds that were not regulated at all. As such, Glass-Steagall would have had little if any effect on reducing the exposure of these unregulated institutions.
Of course, these unregulated institutions ended up being bailed out with the passing of TARP and EESA to rescue the financial sector from complete collapse, bringing down the rest of the economy with it.
Please stop with the repeal of Glass-Steagall as the cause of the Great Recession. As Catherine Rampell wrote in today's Washington Post, "Glass-Steagall, or the lack thereof, is a red herring."
The the time of the repeal of Glass-Steagall, the distinction between commercial and investment banks had blurred. The real problem was that there was a shadow banking, including investment banks with no commercial banking side and then various financial institutions led giant hedge funds that were not regulated at all. As such, Glass-Steagall would have had little if any effect on reducing the exposure of these unregulated institutions.
Of course, these unregulated institutions ended up being bailed out with the passing of TARP and EESA to rescue the financial sector from complete collapse, bringing down the rest of the economy with it.
Thee was no single cause for the Great Recession. There were several major causes - the repeal of Glass-Stegall was one of them.
However to say that the repeal of Glass-Steagal had little effect on causing the financial meltdown is disingenuous.
However to say that the repeal of Glass-Steagal had little effect on causing the financial meltdown is disingenuous.
A lot of people try to weasel out of responsibility by citing a "perfect storm" of circumstances supposedly beyond their control. Thanks for an insightful essay pointing this out. Whenever the perfect storm analogy is raised, we must dig deep for the facts anf not automatically accept such phrasing as a legitimate excuse.
2
As the author tries to convey, the perfect storm is something that occurs outside of human control. Clearly that was not the case with tamir rice. whether the police were at fault, or their training was is above my pay grade, but a perfect storm leaves nothing to do but look to the heavens. Training should allow police to give themselves enough time to evaluate so mistakes like these aren't made. The primary goal of Police officers can not only be to make sure policemen are safe, but to protect and serve the public. Its a dangerous job, but that doesn't mean that innocent civilians should be victims just because police are afraid.
wonderful, clear-eyed, informative article. Thanks!
While I agree there are some who get off the hook using the perfect storm argument, there is a bit of armchair quarterbacking taking place here with the Cleveland officer. It's not his fault he didn't get the "probably fake" information. And even if he did it was a very real looking gun being held by a much above average size kid. When you have to walk up to a situation where being shot is very much a reality you can then tell me how much time you take to analize the gun and situation and still feel like you will go home to your family and not a morgue at the end of the day. It was a series of errors leading up to the shooting. One, and not the least of which, is a person waving and pointing a real looking gun at people in public. Who is taking responsibility for that?
I have been saying this for years. Perfect storm is the new way of saying act of god. In Texas many cities require a house to be able to take a gust of 90 MPH for 3 seconds. No perfect storm is needed to wreak havoc in our neighborhoods and now the season for bad weather seems to be much longer. December tornadoes ... . A governor who chooses not to govern.
Terrific insight, articulated eloquently. Thank you.
On the contrary, there were not only two simple human errors in the Tamir Rice case. There was at least a third – – the gross negligence of the parents of this boy to permit him access to a completely realistic-looking toy handgun. If I were the officer on the scene, would I have simply waited as Tamir lifted this "gun" toward me, as shown in the video tape? Particularly in light of the dispatch received? Quite honestly, no. As tragic as this incident was, it is not the right fact pattern for rallying public opinion against unjustified police violence. Unfortunately, there are plenty of unambiguous cases to choose from.
What's surprising at all is that any one in power even feels compelled to explain what went wrong to us hoi polloi. What are we going to do, elect Mr. Sanders?
2
Thank you! Thank you! That's all I can say. When I saw this phrase, this concept of "The Perfect Storm" applied to what had happened to Tamir I was livid that McGinty betrayed Tamir, Tamir's family, all of us. It was a perfect lie. I was so afraid that this notion, just like Darren Wilson's ability to transform the image of Michael Brown into "The Hulk", a menacing, deadly force that made Wilson "fear for his life, would never be revisited and singled out for the manipulative lies they really are. The shooters never have to sit in a court room in front of a jury and admit that the real reason they killed wasn't due to the notion of a perfect storm or fearing for their lives. It was because they were enraged.
11
You know a lot for someone who was present at neither event. You even know what was in the hearts and minds of others. Your imagined self-sacrificing level of passivity in the face of split-second, fast moving threat would be admirable indeed. Law enforcement lost a hero when you failed to join up.
Seems to be a sign of the times-- people figuring out ever more creative ways to absolve themselves of responsibility. This trend goes along with the concept of "truthiness" (creative lying). IMO, in general humans (especially adults) at times have a very tough time taking responsibility for their actions and words and concepts like these provide new opportunities to continue avoiding it.
3
nice analysis...a close relative of the "computer glitch"
3
Excellent observations and article. Should be read by David Brooks as a primer for his moral meanderings.
11
Not two mistakes -- three. We shouldn't make toys that look like real guns and vice versa.
13
Or guns that look like toys, for that matter…
I really enjoyed this article because the author gives meaning to a ubiquitous phrase that has become invisible.
4
Interesting essay, well written. It's human nature to want to shift blame for most anything.
The cases here generally describe people who committed what most of us would call criminal behavior, but because they were either very wealthy or had police power on their side, most escaped any real punishment or accountability. Nothing in this regard has changed for three or four thousand years. And of course trying to imply these situations are an act of god is ludicrous.
The perfect storm metaphor probably is reasonable sometimes, like the case of the fishermen that went down.
But most sensible people aren't fooled, and know that usually the storm is created by human choices and actions not beyond the parties original control, and in fact they are responsible - and invoking the metaphor doesn't absolve anyone of anything.
Paradoxically perhaps, and try as we might, most of us learn too that the only certainty in life is the unanticipated. But even then, we're still accountable...or should be.
The cases here generally describe people who committed what most of us would call criminal behavior, but because they were either very wealthy or had police power on their side, most escaped any real punishment or accountability. Nothing in this regard has changed for three or four thousand years. And of course trying to imply these situations are an act of god is ludicrous.
The perfect storm metaphor probably is reasonable sometimes, like the case of the fishermen that went down.
But most sensible people aren't fooled, and know that usually the storm is created by human choices and actions not beyond the parties original control, and in fact they are responsible - and invoking the metaphor doesn't absolve anyone of anything.
Paradoxically perhaps, and try as we might, most of us learn too that the only certainty in life is the unanticipated. But even then, we're still accountable...or should be.
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It all depends on whether "perfect storm" refers only to an unusual combination of natural phenomena that produce an extreme event or whether it can also mean an unusual combination of any phenomena, including human behavior. The comment from the Cuyahoga County prosecutor implies that a series of human errors caused the fatal shooting, rather than a singular criminal act by the officer in question. I don't think that represents a cop-out.
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"This kind of ‘‘perfect storm’’ is seductive because it speaks to the unnerving condition of living in a time when much of our well-being is tied up in vast, convoluted systems that few people comprehend. There is a paradoxical comfort in seeing the failure of these systems as a kind of apocalyptic metaphorical weather rather than as the conscious failure of the regulators, executives and politicians who have been entrusted with power over our lives." What else is there to say?
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Juries, nor justices, are embracing "Fatalism" as an ideology when they evaluate a case involving the use of deadly force, which in this case lacked evidence to further prosecute - We all feel immeasurably for all the people involved here, but to suggest that we are using "perfect storm" philosophies to justify racial hatred, defend police brutality or advocate for leniency in a case where it was not merited, is ridiculous.
When you put someone or something else as the reason for a result, it relieves you from responsibility and allows you to play victim. Wake up and live your lives people!
In the spirit of comparing human events to weather, I predict that the wise observations presented in this article will be discredited, discounted, and dismissed in a perfect storm of self interested denial by those who benefit by invoking perfect storms as cover for their actions. One can hope for a perfect storm of outrage at business as usual, but such perfect storms often destroy as much good as bad. Maintaining our up-is-down Bizarro world status quo is building pressure for a perfect storm that will turn the world as we know it upside down.
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Great closing sentence
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They will elect Trump or Cruz who will create the perfect storm...
Great analysis. Blame shifting has run a rhetorical gamut.
We used to accept agency but shift blame: the devil made me do it.
Then we shifted agency: Mistakes happen.
Now we just go all out and blame God, or fate, or Karma:It was the perfect storm? Who could have anticipated such n outcome, except God?
We used to accept agency but shift blame: the devil made me do it.
Then we shifted agency: Mistakes happen.
Now we just go all out and blame God, or fate, or Karma:It was the perfect storm? Who could have anticipated such n outcome, except God?
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We'd look foolish if we attributed these freakish events to something as ethereal as the Greek or Roman gods, so why not use the weather? As the subject of so much debate it's fair game, right?