Why Responsibility Is Unpopular
Not long ago I watched something very ordinary happen. A phone began ringing in a room where several people were sitting. It rang once, then again, and then again. Everyone heard it, but nobody moved to answer it.
It was not a major issue. It was not a crisis. Yet moments like these reveal something interesting about human behaviour. The problem was visible to everyone, but responsibility seemed to belong to no one.
This is how responsibility works. It is rarely refused outright. Instead it is quietly avoided. Someone assumes that someone else will deal with it. Someone else assumes the same thing. Eventually the task falls to whoever happens to care enough to step forward.
This is called the “bystander effect”, but the principle is much older and simpler than any study. Responsibility carries weight, weight requires time, effort and sometimes the possibility of being criticised if things go wrong. It is far easier to step around the problem and continue walking.
In small matters this may only mean a phone unanswered. In larger matters the consequences can be far greater. Societies, organisations and governments all depend on people who are willing to accept responsibility when problems arise rather than simply waiting for someone else to act.
In the past week, the world has watched tensions escalate in the Middle East, particularly in the growing conflict involving Iran and several Western powers. While the details are complex and the politics are contested, one theme appears again and again in statements from every side: blame. Each government argues that it is reacting to the actions of another. Each insists the responsibility lies elsewhere.
Of course, responsibility is not only a matter for world leaders. Democracies ultimately place responsibility in the hands of ordinary citizens. The decisions people make collectively can shape the direction of a country for years. In Scotland, everyone over the age of 16 is eligible to vote, and will soon face such a moment.
The Scottish Parliament elections in May will give the public an opportunity to choose the individuals they believe are capable of guiding the country through the challenges ahead. Elections are often framed as competitions between parties and personalities, but at their heart they represent something more basic, the transfer of responsibility.
Perhaps this is why responsibility can feel unpopular? It is demanding. It asks people not simply to observe events but to shape them. However without them, problems remain where they are, waiting for someone else to act. Or just ignored.
It starts with an unanswered phone.