Excuse Me

Global warming.

The economy.

ADD.

ADHD, for that matter.

What do these things have in common? No, I’m seriously asking you. I don’t what to give you the answer so think hard for a second. Take a sip of coffee if it helps wake up your brain a little bit. I’ll even give you a hint: This post’s title. Eh? Anything yet?

Fine. You’re stupid. I get it.

They’re all blanket excuses. I’ve used some of them and I’m sure you’ve used some of them. They’re convenient explanations for problems when reasoning won’t do.

The Aughts were the heyday of the global warming excuse. Every time a snow flake appeared in April or it rained for an entire month or New England had an easy winter, intelligent conversations regarding meteorological studies all went the same way.

“Can you believe all this rain kid?”

“Nah, dude. Freakin’ global warming, bro.”

In the last couple years, the economy has similarly been the scapegoat of anyone’s financial issues. I don’t have a job because of the economy. I have debt because of the economy. I can’t sell my toe nail collection on eBay because of the economy.

With ADD and ADHD, I saw firsthand as a substitute teacher how many kids will frequently put forth no effort in class because of their “disorders”.

“I need to check your homework. Do you have it?”

“No I didn’t do it. I have ADD.” Great aspirations for this sixth grader.

With global warming, the excuse is relatively harmless. If anything, it’s helpful. If more people think crazy weather patterns are a part of a man-made problem like global warming that we’re in control of, we’ll take the necessary steps to correct the problem because we don’t want things to get worse. (In truth, I believe a lot of this stuff can just be attributed to the fact that weather is unpredictable, especially in the region in which I grew up, New England.)

When it comes to the economy or learning disorders, however, falling back on these excuses can become a serious crutch. Let’s first examine my own situation as it relates to my tendency to attribute the economy to my woes.

“I don’t have a job because of the economy.”

Not true.

While the trickle-down effect of the recession certainly made finding temporary work in the Boston area difficult while I was still living at home, the truth is I earned my college degree in Film & Television. First mistake. I earned that degree at a university in a city that, while it sees Hollywood productions on a frequent basis, is not the place to be for someone who needs to be exposed to the development and writing aspects of the industry for his career aspirations. Second mistake. Finally, upon graduation I didn’t move to the one city where I could sell my skills in exchange for employment. Third mistake. As a result, it wasn’t easy finding work, and understandably so. The 2008 crash has made it easy for me to lament, “The economy is really screwing me,” but the truth is I brought this on myself and would have had difficulty even if Wall Street was steady.

“I have debt because of the economy.”

Kiel, you silly boy.

I have debt because I went to a private school worth more in one year than I’ll make from my first two years of salary rather than attend a perfectly suitable state school. I have debt because I came to Los Angeles for a semester, where a car was needed to get around to my internships, and charged the rental to a credit card for four months. These decisions weren’t financially crippling because the economy tanked. Sure, getting a job right out of college would have helped, but the debt would still be there. It would just be more in control.

I think these blanket excuses can be dangerous. They’re an easy way to avoid responsibility, and no where is it more dangerous than regarding the diagnosis of child learning disorders.. It broke my heart when kids simply wouldn’t try because they knew they had ADD or ADHD and that could get them off the hook. I understand there are some real issues there and I’m not fully educated on the topic, but this disease has become so over-identified that I question its validity. It gives kids who need to be challenged a simple way out.

I couldn’t sit still or keep me mouth until the latter years of high school. Ask anyone who went to school with me growing up. I probably had ADD/ADHD. I was constantly in trouble and challenged by teachers to keep myself in line and focus on my work. Had I been diagnosed with a learning disorder (and by today’s standards I believe I absolutely would have), how would I have responded to that convenient excuse for all my actions? Let’s say I was diagnosed in 7th grade. By the end of that year, my straight As may have become straight Bs. By the end of 8th grade, Cs would have been commonplace.

Maybe I would have worked hard despite the label. I don’t know. There’s no point arguing either way for something speculative. My main issue is allowing people to get out of taking personal responsibility because they’re too lazy to consider the problem for what it might really be. Don’t follow the pattern of blanket excuses that others rely on. You can do more for myself if you understand your contribution to your own problems because that’s what you can fix.

Okay. I’m sorry I became so preachy.

But it’s not my fault. This damn economy makes me cranky.

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