[ZenoArrow]

> "People are responsible for their own actions and own lives, not their environments."

Sure, but their environment informs them about what is normal. To change beyond what is normal takes commitment. To give a silly example, do you walk around shopping malls in your pajamas? There's a social code that makes such an action stand out, even though in other parts of the world pajamas are more socially acceptable in this environment (admittedly, they look different from what we commonly think of as pajamas).

To give another example, if you grew up in a mining town, and your grandfather was a miner, and your father was a miner, and everyone else's father in the town was a miner, what do you think would be normal to aim for? I'm not saying you couldn't aim for something different, I'm saying you'd have to be committed to aim for something different, and be clear about what you want. If you're not clear about what you want, then it's likely you'll end up with the 'default option'.