truth in fiction

"You don't have bad luck. Bad things happen to you because you're a dumbass."

so spoke the patriarch of the forman clan. in his usual manner, of course. over the past few years, i have developed an affinity for fox's that '70s show. now, we rarely ever watch episodes except in syndication. and we have seen most of these three or four times each. that said, the show is smart and funny. like our favorite brit-coms, we laugh at the same things every single time no matter how often we have seen that particular episode. so, when red explained to eric "why bad things happen to good people," i laughed. again. then, it struck me that his attempt at theodicy wasn't too far from correct. bad things do happen, clearly. such things happen largely as consequences of sinful choices. and what better appellation to describe sinners than the one red chose? now, the show can be completely redeemed if i can only ascertain the philosophical and theological value of "wearing your ass for a hat."