qotd: "Personal Responsibility Bias"

[jenk]

From the WSJ op-ed page:

[M]aybe only a psychotherapist turned trial lawyer could come up with something called "personal responsibility bias." Apparently this affliction is especially pronounced among strange people with "traditional family values" and "strong religious beliefs."

[At least according to David A. Wenner's] $800 handbook offered by the American Trial Lawyers Association. [...]

"The personal responsibility juror," writes Mr. Wenner, who served as co-chair of ATLA's Blue Ribbon Commission on Juror Bias, "tends to see the world with bright line rules on how people should act.... People should be self-reliant, responsible, and self-disciplined. When people act irresponsibly and are not self-disciplined, there are consequences. People must be accountable for their conduct."

Hmmmmn. Mr. Wenner tells us these passages have been distorted: All he's trying to do is ensure a fair trial for plaintiffs. But what does it tell you about the current state of our legal system that the same virtues that would be an asset in a friend or spouse or employee are deemed a liability in a jury of one's peers?