I don't recall specific episodes at the moment, but I know I have seen instances where, when there was some horrendous accident in, say, Japan, Taiwan or somewhere else in the Far East, the person responsible and/or the head of the company makes a public apology. He admits wrongdoing and seeks (or sometimes begs) the forgiveness of those he has injured. The concept of responsibility, shame and remorse still has meaning.
I thought of that when I read the following excerpts from the reporting of attempts to interview the engineer of the Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia, killing eight people and injuring about 200:
What was Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian doing and thinking when his speeding train careened off the rails in Philadelphia, killing eight people and sending over 200 more to the hospital?
He can't say.
That's what Bostian's lawyer told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday, saying his client "has absolutely no recollection whatsoever of the events" after losing consciousness in the crash Tuesday night.
"He remembers coming into the curve (and) attempting to reduce speed," the attorney, Robert Goggin, said.
Now it might be that he "can't" say. But I've heard interviews with any number of passengers, also with head injuries, who have given detailed accounts of the crash.
What this leads me to think is that perhaps Mr. Bostian doesn't want to say.
I also couldn't help noticing that Mr. Bostian gave his non-account through -- ready now? -- his lawyer.
Apparently he got lawyered up before he left the hospital.
And then there was this later on in the news story:
Bostian has already fielded questions from authorities. Goggin says his client told them "everything he knew. He cooperated fully."
I had not previously been aware that when one "refuses" to speak with the authorities, he is "cooperating fully."A police official said that authorities have since tried to talk to Bostian, but he refused and left with a lawyer. Goggin insists his client will meet with investigators again "when they ask."
It has yet to be established exactly what happened in the crash. But we do know some important things. Bostian had five years' experience as an engineer. The curve in that area of the tracks is well known; it was the site of one of the worst train derailments in American history in the 1940's, killing 79 people. Bostian's train was headed into the turn at 106 mph, more than double the allowed speed. Bostian tried to brake at the last minute, but succeeded in slowing the train only to 102 when it left the tracks.
It is simply beyond belief that the train could have been going over 100 mph going into a sharp turn if the engineer had been paying attention.
So what was he doing?
Right now, we don't know, and he's not saying. Was he sexting his girlfriend? Was he zapped on pot? Was he getting his bet in with the bookie? Was he distracted by an as-yet unknown emergency in the cabin?
There is one thing we know he isn't doing, however: He isn't coming before the cameras saying, "As the engineer, I am responsible for the operation of the train. I failed. As a result of my failure, eight people were violently killed and many others are in great pain. I apologize for my failure, and I humbly ask forgiveness for the enormous suffering my failure has caused."
There's another thing he's not doing: He isn't visiting the hospitals were injured passengers -- his passengers -- are being treated.
But not to worry. He got a lawyer. The lawyer says he's cooperating fully, although the police say the opposite, and he's said essentially nothing about how this disaster could have happened.
I understand that that's how it works in a culture of shirking. But understanding it doesn't make me stop hoping for a culture of responsibility and, dare I say it, shame.
I have to agree -- perhaps the worst aspect of modern American culture is people never accepting any responsibility for things that go wrong. It is present at the bottom with criminals blaming everyone but themselves, and at the top with CEOs leading their companies to ruin but still keeping their jobs and excessive paychecks.
Sadly, my observations is that this culture of shirking is extremely prevalent with attorneys. It's always the paralegals fault when the reply brief to the MSJ is filed late or a hearing is missed. If the world turned upside down and someone mistakenly appoints me to the bench, that'd be my number one pet peeve. Just admit you made a mistake -- everyone does, and then try your best to do better next time.
I could go on and on with more examples about students blaming the Ferguson, MO situation for not being able to take finals and boxers having a bad shoulder, but I will stop.