I am fascinated by the "personal responsibility" sentiment. Specifically,
it seems to apply only to tort victims taking responsibility for their
decision making that results in injury (assuming coffee to be the normal
hot, not superheated) and not to tortfeasors taking personal responsibility
for theirs. How irresponsible is it to hand a superheated, scalding hot cup
of coffee to a frail old woman without warning her that it may cause third
degree burns, send her to the hospital for 8 days, and subject her to
painful skin debriding if it is not handled properly.

Where is personal responsibility when it applies to taking responsibility
for the foreseeable impact of ones actions on others, especially where
information is assymetic and the problem could easily be remedied with a
warning and an offer of ice to cool it down?

McDonald's is, indeed, a great case for examining the full implications of
what it means to take personal responsibility.

Ginny