The Broken Vase Theorem

[athelind]

The Broken Vase Theorem

• Axiom: If there's a problem, it must be somebody's fault.
  
  • Corollary 1: It's only one person's fault.
    
  • Corollary 2: If you insist that person is someone besides you, you're off the hook.
  
  
  Why is that the Broken Vase Theorem?
  Because it doesn't hold water.

Applications of the BVT to national, international, fannish and LiveJournal politics are left as an exercise to the class.

Comments

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I should put this on the wall of my classroom. It's incredib;y difficult to get kids to recognize that accidents happen, and you can be sorry for your part in them without accepting blame for them.

This is also the one that was used by the little boy I babysit when I discovered the spilt milk (by sitting in the puddle.) "Why is there a puddle on the couch?" I asked. *long pause, complete with furtive look between the brothers* "Elizabeth did it!"

He couldn't have uttered a more aggravating response, especially since Elizabeth wasn't there.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

I, on the other hand, must contend with a grandson who regularly and reflexively says "I'm sorry" without ever accepting responsibility or culpability for things he's actually DONE.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth has learned the value of "sorry" as social lubricant, and she's still learning when it's appropriate to actually take responsibility. It's a difficult lesson to learn, and the Broken Vase Theorem is a part of it.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

In my tutoring days, I had one enfant terrible who had a habit of lying about what homework he had, what assignments he'd done, and where he'd been the night before.

I finally got fed up with him.

One day, he said, "I'm sorry."
I responded, "Don't lie."