Most of us play this game. It is based more on emotion than reason.

It is called "the blame game."

When something goes wrong, we look for someone to blame.

We had a light snow and it messed up traffic. Everyone blamed Modot.

But a guy called a talk show. He said he was born in Maine and now lives here. He said it is not the snow, but it is St. Louis drivers.

He said, "They do not know how to drive in the snow."

You sit in your chair at the Muny or Busch Stadium ready for a nice evening. Lightening flashes and thunder rolls. Rain comes down and you run for cover. Who do you blame?

God or Mother Nature. You forget the weatherman warned you it might rain.

You lie in a hospital bed with pneumonia. A few days ago, you just had chills. You would not wear a hat or coat and got soaked sledding with the kids. Chilled turned into pneumonia. Do you blame the doctors or nurses?

How old is the "blame game?"

When Adam bit into the apple, he blamed the serpent and Eve.

But he is the one who got them kicked out of the Garden of Eden.

When things go wrong, instead of looking for someone to blame, maybe we should look in the mirror.

No one likes to blame themselves, but like Adam, he is the real culprit.

Blame is a handy tool that makes some people feel good, others not so good.

Blame is not all bad. It sometimes forces change that keeps bad things from happening again.

Jim Fox, a retired newspaperman who lives in Affton, writes a weekly column for the Journals.