Unfortunately "personal responsibility" is a dead idea. In this day and age, no one is responsible for anything anymore. We've all abdicated all responsibility for, well, pretty much everything. Everybody is a victim, waiting for somebody else to come along and fix their problems. We wait and wait for good things to happen, and when they don't, we curse our lack of "good luck" or "privilege" and hate on anybody who somehow manages to become successful. When bad things happen, we curse the Universe, God, the Government, aliens from Alpha Zebulon III, Fate, Tony Danza, the weather, the sterno bum at the corner of 5th and Main, Allah, Buddha, Mork from Ork, or anybody but ourselves.<p>Real life is like the worst of <i>Brave New World</i>, <i>Fahrenheit 451</i>, <i>Nineteen Eighty Four</i> and <i>Atlas Shrugged</i> all rolled up together, with none of the good bits.