There was a time in my life when I loved fast food. Put a burger and fries or a hot roast beef sandwich in front of me, and you couldn’t hold me back. And I just loved those fried cherry pies that looked like a taco, not to mention pizza and tacos themselves. All that’s past now thanks to a case of diabetes and a new diet to control it, but, nonetheless I still have the occasional dream about the Golden Arches. It never occurred to me, however, until I read of a newly filed law suit, that I was, in fact, a victim of a sinister plot to foist defective, i.e. fattening and “unhealthy,” food upon my innocent body!

Earlier this month a lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York City against McDonald’s Corp. alleging that McDonald’s (and, presumably, other suits against other fast food companies will follow) had knowingly foisted upon the unsuspecting public dangerous, i.e. unhealthy, food that was the root cause of a national “obesity epidemic.” When I first read of this suit I was inclined to dismiss it as just seasonal silliness, but, apparently, it has not been summarily dismissed by the judge and, indeed, a law professor at Brooklyn Law School has already published a short article analyzing its legal issues.

From my perspective, I don’t care very much whether, by some outlandish manipulation of legal doctrine, a lawyer may be able to get this case before a jury. I’m much more concerned by the social context and consequences of this and similar cases. It is far to easy, as former Congressman Newt Gingrich attempted, to blame these suits on unscrupulous lawyers. Lawyers don’t bring these suits by themselves.

There must be a plaintiff willing to be named and there has to be a judge willing to hear the case and, in the worst cases, a jury willing to take the suit seriously and award damages. All of this, for me, is evidence of a much more serious problem: our societal embrace of victimhood and our collective unwillingness to accept individual responsibility.

I find it hard to believe that anyone can claim in good faith that when they eat fast food they think they are eating health foods that will be good for them. Or that when they take their children out for fast food they think that this is the healthiest meal that they can provide.

In my own case, I can remember quite clearly several times over the last decades when McDonald’s, in particular, offered healthier alternatives to its traditional fare. I also remember thinking that I wouldn’t eat them because they didn’t taste as good. No one forced me to eat Big Macs, Whoppers, Wendy’s, Hardee’s, or Arbys’ specials over the years. No one promised me that they’d make me thin and healthy. I ate in those places because they were fast and consistent and because the food tasted good.

Until three years ago my idea of health food was a baked potato with sour cream, cheddar cheese and bacon. If I had wanted to eat healthy food, I could have done so. I didn’t want to, not when I was 12 or when I was 42.

I am, today, a reformed fast food junkie. For nearly 50 years, I stuffed my face and grew fat and enjoyed every minute of it. I paid a price for that self-indulgence: I became diabetic. I’m not happy about it and if I had to do it over again, I’d probably (I hope) do things differently. But I also don’t think it was anybody else’s fault. Nobody made me eat what I ate or as much as I ate. I did it because I wanted to.

Admitting this is what’s called responsibility and it seems to me that our culture needs to emphasize far more than it does, the importance of taking responsibility for our actions. If you eat too much, you get fat. If you eat fast food rather than health food, you are likely to have higher cholesterol levels. If you eat a gallon of ice cream for dessert, your body will react differently than if you eat an apple.

If we continue to refuse to take responsibility for our actions and, instead, try to blame others, pretty soon everyone will be a victim and no one will want to be in business any longer. Our society is built on the notion of individual rights and responsibilities. The two go together. If we forget this we’ll not only clog our courts and make our legal system a mockery, we’ll destroy what our nation is really about.

As far as fast food goes, I suppose that if the plaintiffs win in this case, we’ll all eat healthier but our lives will be less rich, not because we cannot get a burger and fries but because we will have given up something far greater: the responsibility that is a necessary part of freedom.