Have we lost the lessons that come with losing, and the character to take accountability? Do we think we have a right to win?
Two incidents brought these questions to mind.
A friend was on the street in Toronto when he was suddenly struck from behind by a young man speeding down the sidewalk on a skateboard.
When my friend suggested that the guy pay attention and perhaps not slam into people at speed on a busy sidewalk, the skateboarder flew into a rage that resulted in my friend going to the hospital for ten stitches.
God forbid the young man be told that something could in any way be his fault, especially since people didn’t have the good sense to know he was coming up from behind and to hurry out of his path.
Incident number two was the aftermath of the total humiliation of the Boston Red Sox Friday night by the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 28 to 5 – the highest single game run total in Jays’ history and a record number given up by the Sox.
For something like that to happen doesn’t just require the winner to be excellent, it requires the loser to play like Little League. The Sox complied.
But Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, “Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for us.” Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said, “It’s tough, but no one will feel sorry for you. Especially the opposing team.”
Cora and Bogaerts are not just at the top of their profession because they know how to win. They also know how to lose. They accept defeat, even embarrassment, and accountability as a part of the game – a part of life.
Who is accountable for the current passport debacle in Canada?
Fewer people are applying per week than before the pandemic, yet people queue up in desperate lines for hours only to be told to come back and try again. The government’s response was to offer them chairs.
Should a Canadian win the passport lottery game and book a trip, the airport is their next hurdle. (They are involuntary contestants in Amazing Race Canada.)
Data compiled by FlightAware shows Pearson has more delays as a share of total scheduled flights than any other airport in the world, at 52.9%.
Perhaps to ensure Canada doesn’t easily slip out of first place by some accidental efficiency, the second worst in the world is Montreal’s Trudeau Airport at 47.6%.
Who is taking responsibility? Who is accountable?
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra blamed the public. Of course he did. Always blame the customer. Could the airlines stop overbooking?
After a series of scandals in Britain nearly 50 MPs stepped down, forcing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to do the same.
After a series of ethical violations, the above listed incidents of incompetence and international embarrassments, how many Canadian MPs stepped down? How many showed accountability by putting Canada ahead of team politics?
Has the prime minister shown any sense of responsibility and accountability? You know the answer.
After a major failure at Rogers, leaving millions without service, the company offered compensation and replaced their chief technology officer. They did not blame the customer.
Too much of our government acts like fools on a skateboard. And we elected them.
How’s that for accountability?
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