Take Responsibility? Go on then!
Today we saw Kate Moss' reluctant PR effort to stem the over-hyped media reaction to taking cocaine – something that isn't exactly a new phenomena in the modelling world – by issuing a statement that she takes "full responsibility for [her] actions". Great, well done. So what's she going to actually do about it that's 'responsible'? Is she going to check into the Priory clinic and embark on a useless course of therapy? Is she going to go to the police and tell them where she got the drug from? (not that they'd have to look very far – check out the mumbling mess that's attached to her hand who goes by the name of Pete). Is she going to issue another statement and claim that taking cocaine was a mistake that she'll never do again?
No she'll no doubt ride the current buzz (sorry..) and wait for it to pass before restarting her excellent modelling career. Can't really blame her though, as the current political climate is rife with senior politicians "taking responsibility" but not actually doing anything to correct their admitted errors. George W. Bush took "responsibility" for the farcical handling of hurricane Katrina – but did nothing. Blair took "responsibility" for the Iraqi WMD debacle and did even less! Words, words, and yet more twisted words.
The problem is that as more people use this phrase, it's meaning diminished. Lenny Bruce used this desensitisation to great effect – try saying "nigger" over and over again and eventually it becomes a surreal collection of consonants and vowels without racial overtones.
All this is not exactly a good example to set to the younger generation who are always being derided for their apparent lack of responsibility. If I was them, I'd be pretty confused.
Perhaps a more appropriate phrase would be "absorbing responsibility".