Let the Suing Begin

Today’s generation is filled in a world of egocentric values. We are self-absorbed and thrive off of instant gratification and our own desires. Sadly, this lifestyle has caused our generation to disregard the importance of uniting together to improve society. We no longer feel the need to selflessly take action for the common good. Why do we let this happen? We are preoccupied with what is best for us, in the process ignoring what is best for others. Thus, our generation has inherited the common perception that if we are bothered, we must take action to the courts. With this mentality, it has created an influx in the demand of lawyers needed. In today’s society, it has become trite to sue for absurd reasons. Believe it or not, a student sued his teacher for hugging him because the student said it was “inappropriate.” In previous generations, they would never think of suing for such absurd reasons and would only use the court system when necessary. We are so dependent on the court system to solve our problems that I wouldn’t be surprised if a teenager would sue the producers of Gossip Girl, if on an episode the guest star were not hot enough. Would a teenager be capable of such absurdities? While this hypothetical situation might sound ridiculous, the previous absurd case is very similar, illustrating that this situation is indeed plausible. Furthermore, for our everyday annoyances we feel entitled to sue and falsely portray that we are the victims. We value our own feelings and opinions as hard facts, disregarding all else as trash. This manipulation of the court system must be constrained to a level of legitimacy because courts were not meant to succumb to this level. Although we have abused the level of interaction of courts to settle disputes, courts must be maintained as the prominent source because the main alternative, self-help only leads to escalating hostility.

In today’s generation, if we feel the slightest bit annoyed, we have the idea to sue to comfort ourselves by playing the victim card. Wesley Cann Jr, in his piece “Frivolous Lawsuits,” examines the common trend in today’s society upon the fact that “lawsuits have become a very popular, common response for many Americans who feel they have had even the slightest wrong done too them…[producing] this sue-happy mentality” (Rocheleau 2). We feel like we have suffered, we want payback, consequently, we run to the courts to deal with our problems. With our self-absorbed attitudes, we believe that we matter, and that our needs must be met. If we are bothered by a situation, we feel obligated to sue to get our way. Further exampled by a man who files a “Lawsuit of $54 million because he believed that the dry cleaners did not live up to the claims made by the signs in their window which stated "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service” (Rocheleau 1). His main argument is incredibly absurd; the man did not suffer, and is therefore