Blaming Things

Do guns kill people or do people kill people? Is it television or bad parenting that’s destroying the American family? These are worn-out false dichotomies about the political nature of technology.


I’m going to ask you a stupid question.

Suppose you’re walking down a hallway in an unfamiliar building. At the end of the hallway, you come to a door with one of those D-shaped aluminum pull handles, the sort one encounters when exiting a public restroom. Completely missing the tiny “PUSH” on what appears to be a miniscule sticker to the right of the handle, you end up yanking yourself toward the door, tragicomically bashing your face into edge of the frame, leaving a bruise in the center of your forehead.

Now, the question: Is that bruise your fault or the door’s?

This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.