Runaway Bride, My ***

I'm finding all the kvetching over Jennifer Wilbanks, Duluth, GA's infamous "Runaway Bride," quite interesting. Here's the short version: Ms. Wilbanks, faced with her impending 600-guest wedding, told her fiance John Mason she was going jogging, then disappeared. A manhunt--er, bridehunt--ensued. When they finally found her, in Albuquerque, NM, hell and gone from Duluth, she said she'd been abducted. She finally came clean to having cold feet, which means that she cut her hair, went to Vegas, spent a couple of days gambling, then went to Albuquerque and turned herself in.

No real apologies to the groom, who got shaken down by the cops, or her parents, who were planning to fork over in the six figures for her wedding, or her in-laws-to-be, who had double worry on their hands.

Seems to me that Leonard Pitts is right again. Somehow, we've conjured a generation of selfish, self-centered people who don't know how to take responsibility for themselves. Got problems in school because you're not doing well? Have mom come in and raise hell about your teacher. Surely it's her fault. Can't manage your anger? Talk to Dr. Phil and blame your parents. Surely it's their fault. Freaked out about your supersized wedding (the one you planned, by the way) and its out-of-control costs? Skip town and say a Hispanic man kidnapped you. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Normally, I'm all over the romantic happy ending, but not this time. After Jennifer returns all those wedding gifts, including the Waterford crystal ice bucket and apologizes--hell, grovels--to John, she should pay back the almost $60K the City of Duluth shelled out to look for her during her "abduction." Maybe then, the concept of personal responsibility might take hold.