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1. In a society, one person is singled out
as the cause of the troubles of that society or group and is expelled or
killed. That person is the scapegoat. Social order is restored as people
are contented that they have solved the cause of their problems by
removing the scapegoat. Until the next time, when they find they have to
find another.
2. The problem for the scapegoat is that he/she forced into a passive
position, as detractors sweep away any attempts at defence. The victim
needs to understand that this is a form of symbolic castration and rape.
Like many rapes and acts of assault, it is a sexualized power game to
determine who is on top. The victim experiences shame and humiliation,
being forced to take the blame, bringing relief for his/her detractors,
who may have suffered irrational guilt feelings from childhood on.
3. Since designated scapegoats are frequently subjected to
discrediting attacks, they may feel scapegoated even when they are not
actually being blamed. And such feelings can be brought on as a result
of fantasies in which they imagine what might happen to them.
4. It is possible to identify certain conditions for the choosing of
a scapegoat. First, it must be understood that the scapegoat is in no
way to blame for the situation in which he/she finds him/herself. But it
can be seen that scapegoat victims have similar traits that allow them
to be classified as a group. They are part of the community, but are
seen as ‘outsiders’ - people on the fringe of the group, who do not
participate fully - in other words, they challenge in some way the
beliefs, practices or norms of the community. Victims commonly have ‘special’
qualities that mark them out as ‘exceptional’ and arouse envy.
5. Such members of the community stand out, are more easily visible,
vulnerable, and easier to persecute. But this is not the only reason they
are chosen as victims. They are chosen because they have the air of
being, or expecting to be, victims. And this is because they have a
sense of their own uniqueness, and know that in times of stress or
pressure, they are the ones the community will come for, to pay the
price.
6. When full-blown scapegoating is in process, the community demands
that the scapegoat be driven out or destroyed, and in this way all the
community’s problems will be solved. When this has been done, there is
a release of tension in which people do feel better, and therefore
believe that the sacrifice was justified. The scapegoat is regarded in a
dual light:
a) he/she was definitely the cause of the problems, since
everything is now better;
b) he/she was a very powerful, almost god-like
person, to be able to cause all that trouble.
Hence, scapegoats are remembered as being powerful and special, and
in time, become sanctified, and are thought of as saviours of their
community. |