Scapegoat

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{{cquote|But just as a society must have a scapegoat, so hatred must have a symbol. Georgia has the Negro and Harlem has the Jew.|||James Baldwin<ref>"The Harlem Ghetto" in ''Collected Essays'' by James Baldwin (1998) Library of America. ISBN 1883011523.</ref>{{rp|53}}}}
A '''scapegoat''' is a term for someone or something that bears the blame for problems, misfortunes, or the actions of others. Often, scapegoats are forced to take this blame unwillingly and are the targets of irrational hostility as a result.<ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scapegoat According to Merriam-Webster]</ref>

==Uses==
When searching for some means to publicize one's willingness to screw up a [[nation]], it can be hard work to get people to listen to your (no doubt excellent) ideas and proposals. Why not cut out all that tedious formulating of policies that people might like, and simply find some unpopular minority to take the blame for [[society]]'s ills?

[[Jesus]]' death is the most prominent example of a scapegoat in Western (not excluding [[Eastern Orthodox|Eastern Christianity]]) ideology.<ref>[http://carm.org/dictionary-vicarious-atonement "Vicarious Atonement"]</ref> Though a large portion of [[right-wing]] Protestants in the [[United States]] believe "that's all sissy stuff" and choose to ignore most of the central [[dogma]] regarding Jesus as a universal scapegoat.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-zuckerman/why-evangelicals-hate-jes_b_830237.html Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus], HuffPo</ref><ref group=note>Jesus is arguably a poor example of a scapegoat, anyways, since all he did was take the ''punishment'' for humanity's [[sin]]s, without being ''blamed'' for the deeds he was being punished for (except by the Jews and Romans carrying out said punishment); indeed, [[Martyr|he has been lionized for his sacrifice]] in the following years. Usually, a scapegoat is assigned the blame for societal problems (for example, [[International Jewish conspiracy|the Jews being [erroneously] assigned responsibility for all manner of fucked-up misdeeds]]), gets [[Demonization|demonized]] in the process, and becomes [[Bigotry|widely hated]] and turns into a punching bag for society as a result.</ref>

If you can't think of a suitable scapegoat, [[:Category:Scapegoating|just go with]] a [[snarl word|popular choice]]: [[Jew]]s, [[Muslim]]s, [[Catholics]], [[Protestant]]s, [[Mormons]], [[heretic]]s, [[atheist]]s, [[communist]]s, [[feminist]]s, [[homosexual]]s, [[liberal]]s, [[conservative]]s, the [[ruling class]], [[working class]], [[Poverty|unemployed]], [[welfare queen|welfare recipients]], [[race|minority races]], [[miscegenation]], immigrants, [[illegal immigration|illegal aliens]], [[extraterrestrial|space aliens]], [[witch]]es, [[vampire]]s, the [[Devil]], [[heavy metal]], violent [[Hollywood values|movies]], violent [[video games]], [[pornography]], the [[government]], the [[Federal Reserve]], etc. 

If you lack the confidence to actually sacrifice a [[goat]], try just finding a {{wpl|whipping boy||.}} Similar idea (substitutionary punishment), but you may succeed in prolonging the blaming. 

===Nonhuman===
Many [[culture]]s employ the use of fictional beings or animals in the position of a "scapegoat". For example, the belief that [[sin]]s were absolved by animal sacrifice in the temple in ancient Jewish culture is an example of scapegoating. Because the animal bears the responsibility for the sins of the culture's members, members of that culture are better able to {{wpl|Forgiveness|forgive}} minor transgressions that one another have engaged in.<ref group=note>The aforementioned Jesus-as-ultimate-scapegoat event is simply the logical conclusion of this practice (with the added benefit of removing the requirement for continuous animal abuse).</ref> The belief in [[demonic possession]] is a form of scapegoating behavior of a person onto a being that has possessed them rather than the individual themselves. The belief can have both beneficial and negative consequences in such regards as it helps society maintain cohesion by shifting blame, and, hopefully, {{wpl|Grudge|grudges}} and disputes, to other beings, fictional or real, but also may cause sincerely bad people to avoid punishment or constraint from further negative actions or behavior.<ref>[http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/03-leviticus/text/articles/feinberg-lev16scapegoat-bs.pdf The Scapegoat of Leviticus Sixteen], Dallas Theological Seminary</ref><ref>
[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/kapparot.html The Custom of Kapparot in the Jewish Tradition]</ref> They also sometimes cause harm to those whose "possession" is actually due to things like {{wpl|mental illness||,}} as [[exorcism]]s have been known to turn violent, or even fatal in some cases.

==Derivation==
[[File:Goat.jpg|150px|thumb|It's ''symbolically'' your fault!]]
Like so much that is good and true, it derives from [[Leviticus]]:
{{Cquote|{{bible|Leviticus|16|8}} And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two [[goat]]s; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.<br />{{bible|Leviticus|16|10}} But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [and] to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.<br />{{bible|Leviticus|16|26}} And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.}}

==See also==
*[[Stereotype]]
*[[McCarthyism]]
*[[European witch-hunts]]
*[[International Jewish conspiracy]]
*[[War on Terror]]
*[[Post-truth]]

==External links==
*[http://www.mesora.org/scapegoat.html WTF?]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{logfal}}
[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:Culture]]
[[Category:Fallacious arguments]]
[[Category:Goats]]
[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Ad hominem]]
[[Category:Totalitarianism]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorist scapegoats| ]]
[[Category:Scapegoating| ]]

Categories: Authoritarianism, Culture, Fallacious arguments, Goats, Political terms, Ad hominem, Totalitarianism, Conspiracy theorist scapegoats, Scapegoating