Enough with the blame game

It’s always a little fun to see someone else screw up, isn’t it?

The psychological tic reflexively kicks in saying, “I would never do that,” or, “glad that’s not me.”

It is the reason I have watched countless videos of people injuring themselves in various creative ways on YouTube.

The same reflex turns ugly when entering the sociopolitical realm.

I have been hearing and reading the opinions of the Penticton people in person and online since I arrived here a few years ago, and though it’s not an exclusively Penticton problem, there is an affinity for playing the blame game.

This is especially true when it comes to the topic of crime in the South Okanagan. Almost every time I write a story on a court sentencing, readers say the judges are too soft.

If it’s a story on a theft, the city or RCMP aren’t doing enough.

Or, even better, blame the media because you don’t like what you hear!

Unlike most, I get the opportunity to put these questions to council or the police. Believe it or not, you’re all on the same side. The police would love more boots on the ground, as would council, but a good part of those numbers are dictated by the province and out of the hands of our local officials. Plus, cops cost money, and nobody wants to pay more taxes.

There are numbers the public can dictate, though. If every “outraged” citizen I see commenting on news stories took a few hours a week to volunteer their time to a neighborhood watch group, I bet you would see a decent reduction in criminal offences.

Some citizens have already taken to the streets and I don’t have the numbers to prove it, but I’m sure it has been a help.

It is easier to blame those in charge than it is to actually do anything about it. Democracy is run by those who show up and those who engage in their community, not armchair commenters writing IN ALL CAPS.

Outrage is in vogue these days, while doing something constructive in your community is a niche practice.

So next time you get that familiar flame of rage burning behind your eyeballs and coursing all the way to your fingers to write an angry comment on the way things should be, take a second to think about how you could help shape a better community instead of throwing gasoline on the dumpster fire that is society’s current state of discourse.

I should include the disclaimer that of course our public officials should be held to task, but blaming the police for crime is like blaming the weatherperson for rain.

Next time you’re willing to spend your time complaining about the crime in this city, instead find more information about community policing programs and volunteering.

Try communitypolicing@penticton.ca or call 250-492-4300.

Dale Boyd is a reporter with Okanagan Newspaper Group. To contact the writer, email: dale.boyd@pentictonherald.ca.