> Helps two fold, with lawsuits against the bus company
I think the most succinct way to describe the US to an outsider, in a way that will help them understand or explain most of the behaviors that may seem odd, is that everyone's #1 goal all the time is to avoid ever taking the blame for anything, supported by a #2 goal of finding someone else to blame. In an ideal situation, things are arranged such that no one may be blamed.
My mother was a school bus driver for years, parents constantly accused her of things. The camera kept her safe. "My son wasn't hitting people, the bus driver was yelling at him for no reason!"
No, your son was in fact hitting people, and the bus driver kindly asked him to stop, which is all she is allowed to do.
She would have been fired multiple times over if it wasn't for the camera disproving wild allegations from parents who want to lay responsibility on anyone but their kid.
I'm not even saying it's irrational, due to priority #2. We love to find someone to blame, then hammer them hard. Best is if we ruin someone's entire life over whatever we've found that we can blame them for.
I think the most succinct way to describe the US to an outsider, in a way that will help them understand or explain most of the behaviors that may seem odd, is that everyone's #1 goal all the time is to avoid ever taking the blame for anything, supported by a #2 goal of finding someone else to blame. In an ideal situation, things are arranged such that no one may be blamed.