Obeying the Rules cont’d…

I wrote this post several weeks ago on failing to follow the rules. This topic came up again as I was writing a recent Global Voices post. There, I described a blogger’s opinion on the Israeli teachers union response to the court ruling, placing a deadline for their strike to end by issuing a restraint order. Teachers in Israel have been on strike for over 60 days, pursuing better employment conditions and smaller size classrooms (from 40 to 30 kids per class). One blogger brought up the Socrates argument, which highlights the importance to follow rules even if they deem unjust:

…Having knowingly agreed to live under the city’s laws, he implicitly subjected himself to the possibility of being accused of crimes by its citizens and judged guilty by its jury. To do otherwise would have caused him to break his “social contract” with the state, and by so doing harming it, an act contrary to Socratic principle… (source: wikipedia)

I’m relatively new to the States, and can’t help but constantly compare its rules and people’s behaviours to those from my other hometowns. What I keep seeing here is a state of mind that encourages people to constantly cover their arse. When I go to the doctor and she needs to perform a minor operation, I sign papers waiving her responsibility over me. I assume this is mainly to protect her from patients taking legal action against her. But when I see a doctor, I want to trust her and not sign some *status-quo* agreement upfront. I come to you, and I pay you to fix my body out of trust. Whats next? Are we going to start signing Chinese manufacturer’s documents waiving our right to sue them when we buy toxic-glazed toys?
My driving teacher in Israel was extremely passionate about his work, and passed onto me the importance of making good judgements on the road. This week, I took the local driving test, and was failed *again* when I decided against passing a junction on a red light when taking an LA left turn. LA has a fundamental problem across town with its left turns. Most people wait until the light turns red, then take their chance at crossing the intersection. In the driving test I made a decision to wait it out, and thus was failed for not taking the turn, even if the light turned red. My tester claimed that the California law states you MUST take the left turn, even if on red. So first time I was failed because I did not look over my shoulder (stated in the law) every time I changed lanes, and second time because I did not take a left turn on red. What worries me is not only the fact that I know the DMV so well by now *cough*cough*, but that with such a crucial activity as driving, the rules in this state are created with some form of ‘ass covering‘ in the style of ‘just making sure‘ instead of thinking about what makes most sense. Why fill the city with 4-way stop signs ‘just to make sure’? Why not have only 2 in each junction, like in most of the developed world.

This country baffles me.

For being so open to entrepreneurs, to new ideas and *freedom*, it is a place where people are encouraged to follow stupid rules without thinking. I am sure Socrates would be grinning from his grave, but I am disturbed. Disturbed by my need to follow rules that make no sense in order to (pardon my French) ‘cover my ass‘.

[tags] rules, socrates [/tags]