Corporate, group and social culpability has been part of the social discussion for centuries. Along with that goes corporate, group and social pride. We have little trouble accepting the pride as a family or nation when someone succeeds in extreme fashion in sports, finance or scholarship. We give accolades to the individual for sure, but we also give accolades to the team, the family, the opportunities the individual have had. Even the person who has come from a bad or negative environment we honor their success because of what they took advantage of in the society. This is all appropriate and healthy.
What is equally good and healthy is to accept the blame and guilt along with the individual who, goes off what we call the deep end, and is destructive to themselves and others. Each of us lives in the world in relationship to one another and to the groups and social structures which are around us, and we are culpable along with the individual. When the “bad” happens we need to look at our social selves and see what we need to adjust. That is healthy. Looking for blame someplace else or holding the individual solely to blame is unhealthy. Being human, whether individual or corporate, we need regular adjustments of our attitudes and behaviors so that we can be at our best. Do not be afraid to be part of the problem, because then you can be part of the solution.
Being part of the solution means that we have to talk and listen to one another with honesty and care. To be effective and to affect one another we need the conversation to be without angry expressions and without hate and without ill will and without being convinced that "I" am right at the beginning of the conversation. We must be open to being affected by the other as we are hopeful to affect them. This kind of conversation fosters a free society and supports free speech and a democratic/representational government.
