How did we allow ourselves to become such a litigious society? -- Nick Salai
I think that it was invariable outcome of the 1980s when juries and judges began to award ever higher levies against companies and individuals for legitimate lawsuits. Once the door was open there was only so long before the scum suckers decided that they'd be able get rich doing the same. Soon every lazy, ignorant jack-weasel made an effort to fall in stores and public buildings so they could claim they'd been harmed and sue the owners.
Unfortunately it worked for a long time - those days appear to be changing though. I'm worried that it may swing too far in the other direction where people who are legitimately harmed through the negligence or malfeasance of others are ignored and unduly rejected. Time will tell on that one.
Every society needs a way to settle differences. Back in the day, it was tribesmen and they fought or wrestled for dominance. Later, it was dueling, or fighting wars in extreme cases. These days folks think duels are barbaric, so we have lawyers and courts. But it's still basically about dominance, with lawyers acting as soldiers on behalf of corporate warlords in a battlefield that isn't bounded by the threat of bloodshed. It has therefore expanded exponentially.
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