Ever since God created the universe and Adam and Eve, humans have all played the blame game at one time or another. The first recorded occurrence of the blame game is in The Book of Genesis. Genesis 2:16 reads: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.’” And in verse 17: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
We all know how the serpent tempted Eve and how she and Adam eventually ate from the forbidden tree.
Further on in Genesis 3:11, God asks Adam: “Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded that thou should not eat?” In verse 12, the conversation continues: “And the man said, ‘The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’” In verse 13: “And the Lord God said unto the woman, ‘What is this that thou hast done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent beguiled, and I eat.’”
That, my friends, is when The Blame Game began. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. Or, as in the words of the late great comedian Flip Wilson: “The Devil Made me do it!” To this day, we still see versions of the blame game being played by everyone at some time or another. The blame game is played in our work, our governments, and in all facets of our lives. It is undoubtedly human nature to try to deflect blame for various things onto others.
I am sure we can remember multiple times in our childhoods when we were caught doing something we should not have done, and we tried to deflect the blame to a brother, sister, friend, or foe to stay out of trouble.
Playing the blame game, however, is not always bad. There are many occasions when realizing a problem and assigning blame accordingly can lead to positive change. Throughout history, it has been shown that humanity has made changes to make our world a better place after assessing blame to the proper parties.
We are now in the 21st century, and the blame game is fast becoming exhausting. Our politicians and other leaders constantly attack one another, as do various special interest groups, religious leaders, and many parts of our society. In the past 20 years, the political blame game has infiltrated our family and personal lives to the degree that families and friends have become estranged over the constant battle to be correct.
This is also true in our sport of purebred dogs. I have witnessed people almost come to blows over a difference of opinion on various subjects. Whatever happened to civility?
In my humble opinion, we in sport of dogs should work together to make our sport a “safe haven” that allows everyone a place to get together away from the problems of everyday life, enjoy competition with others who love their dogs, and experience the thrill of being in the ring with our best friends. After all, are not the dogs and the health, welfare, and improvement of our breeds our primary goal?
When I began my journey in the early 1970s, dog shows were fun. They were about learning from one another and building camaraderie. We helped each other, cheered for each other, and congratulated one another. We all knew there would be another show, and even though we did not win today we had another opportunity coming. We learned from our mistakes and became better handlers and groomers, and especially, breeders focused on improving our breeds.
Since the advent of social media, the expansion of print media, and the increase in large clusters, camaraderie has been replaced by the mentality of WIN at any cost. It has also increased the “Blame Game.” Exhibitors today blame the judges, the size of the ring, the professional handlers, and everything but themselves for their losses.
“That dog is number one because it is advertised extensively,” they might say. “They only won because they are good friends with the judge.” “They used to be lovers, and that’s why they win under him or her.” “They co-owned dogs together.” “She/he used their stud dogs,” and so on. You get the picture. These are just a few examples of what people say to cast blame on someone else.
If you use Facebook or any other social media, you know about the ongoing attacks on judges and other exhibitors. The malice and slander are unbelievable. How can we fix it? Well, as I’ve mentioned, there are times when identifying a problem and assessing blame can cause change. The recent moves by the AKC with SafeSport and Stewards of Children: Darkness to Light are examples of proactive change after the recognition of a problem related to protecting our young people from sexual predators. This is one example that we should all embrace. We are responsible for speaking up when we see behaviors that can hurt people.
We need to find ways to make our sport not only safer but also a place where we welcome newcomers. We can’t survive if we mistreat others. Is it that hard to be kind and considerate of others? Do we need to be rude to the very people who put on the shows? The way that people on show committees, ring stewards, and other volunteers are often treated is abhorrent.
Positive changes can only occur when we all work together to effect positive change. We can all start today to make dog shows safe and fun for all, if we learn to respect each other and remember that there are more losers than winners at each show—and there will always be another opportunity in the future.
I recently shared my thoughts on the AKC judging system and the need for a system to recognize and advance qualified people to assist clubs with the availability of judges to cover the needs of smaller shows. The feedback I received from my fellow judges was incredible and encouraging. Only time will tell if the AKC will listen and make changes.
Let’s all make a concerted effort to effect change and reduce the negativity within our sport. Before posting on social media, “sleep on it.” Is your rant deserving, or could there be other factors you don’t recognize as the real reasons for your frustration? Maybe you have had a bad day or week, or maybe there’s another frustrating reason. Please don’t take it out on the show committee or others who are just trying to do their best. Please don’t play The Blame Game.
