the.com/blame game
A sport where everyone plays defense and the ball is responsibility.
means The collective scramble to pin fault on someone else instead of fixing the problem.
from A 20th-century phrase built from plain parts — 'blame' from Old French 'blasmer' (to censure or reproach, itself descended from Greek 'blasphemein,' to speak evil of), plus 'game,' framing the act of fault-finding as a kind of competitive sport. The compound caught on in American political and media speak, especially from the later 1900s onward, as a handy jab at people trading accusations instead of solving anything.
- win condition
- someone else gets fired first
- team size
- grows until no one is left
- origin
- literally older than the Bible, see Adam and Eve
- productivity cost
- zero problems solved, infinite meetings held