Scapegoats in Modern Society

Lack of Respect and Responsibility In Today's Culture

It has become a negative trend in modern society to avoid responsibility. More and more often, people blame others for the outcomes of their own behavior. A child is not responsible for hitting a classmate, but is a victim of violence seen on television and in video games.  A patient makes a decision concerning his care, but the doctor is to blame for any complications, so malpractice insurance skyrockets and medical bills follow suit.  A girl accuses a boy of raping her, proven to be false, but the girl is not at fault because she is a victim of a male-dominated society.  All this blame shifting has led to a widespread epidemic of scapegoating in our culture.

First of all, let us present to you our definition of scapegoating that we’ll reference throughout our site:

A “scapegoat” refers to an individual or group who are symbolically or concretely made to bear responsibility for the faults or problems of others. For individuals, scapegoating is a psychological defense mechanism of denial through projecting responsibility and blame on others. It allows the perpetrator to eliminate negative feelings about him or herself and provides a sense of gratification. Furthermore, it justifies the self-righteous discharge of aggression. For the perpetrator, it can provide a firm separation between good and bad. Others describe scapegoaters as insecure, motivated to raise their own status, particularly relative to the target. Having firmly convinced oneself that the other is responsible, it seems only logical to displace punishment as well (1).

As you read through the articles on our site, we hope to convey to you how  detrimental scapegoating is to our society. We also hope you'll realize how prevalent this issue is in everyday life.  For scapegoating can occur in the most menial decisions and actions.  Small children blame their friends and siblings for breaking the "cookie jar," and parents rarely take the time to discover the truth, let alone teach the value of taking responsibility for your actions to the guilty child.  Soon the child grows up, continuing to blame parents, a bad education, the government, minority groups, and individuals for their inability to succeed.  They are not to blame for their failures in their minds, someone else is responsible for bearing the blame. 

After researching this topic, we’ve come to the conclusion that there are various causes, effects, and means of prevention for scapegoating. Feel free to take advantage of our research and learn about what we feel is a real problem in today’s society:  one that affects your life as well.

REFERENCES:

1. http://www.scapegoat.demon.co.uk/cause/prevention

Sources of Graphics:

Beetle Bailey comic strip by Mort Walker: http://www.mortwalker.com/main.asp

The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt: http://www.illusionsgallery.com/Scapegoat.html

Written by Emily Stegman, Mary Phillips, and Joanna Gruber. Last edited December 7, 2004.

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