The thrill of blaming others
We’ve always loved scapegoats, in politics and our own lives. Now science offers a new glimpse into its appeal
http://www.salon.com/2012/01/29/the_thrill_of_blaming_others/singleton/
I see bits of myself in this article, which perhaps makes me someone who isn’t the target of it. I guess the average sheeple (see, I am trying to elevate myself from the masses; I AM SPECIAL!) would read the article and shrug their shoulders. Either it would have no meaning and just be gibberish, or they would say it is perfectly obvious, just doesn’t apply to them. I am a wee bit dubious about the bit in the center regarding the Great Recession being all of our faults (certainly we the sheeple had to play a part in anything of that magnitude), to me the evidence that systematic fraud and outright criminal activity is practically damning, but the rest of the article really strikes a chord with me.
This might be a key take-away thought from the article:
This brings us to the most dangerous use of scapegoats – the blaming of certain individuals to give governments the freedom to act in certain ways. This is an age-old strategy, and, most recently, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi were all similarly demonized. The latter was used to prove a non-existent link between the first two, giving the American public the sense of a greater threat against them than in fact existed, and justifying the use of military force in Iraq. As one can see, the urge to blame is sometimes incited in us, and this form of demonization has been employed for centuries.
If I read books anymore (another thing, like molecular biology, that seems to have ebbed away for no reason) I think I would like to read this one. I like to understand why I do things and while I try to analyze my thoughts and actions for unconscious bias, I am not necessarily capable of seeing my flaws (or seeing them as flaws ;-)) so reading something like this can help focus my analysis and perhaps lead to thoughtful breakthroughs (though probably not to any changes in my bad habits, much to my wife’s chagrin).
You might enjoy, as I did, Games People Play, by Eric Berne. I particularly enjoyed my wife admitting that she played NIGYSOB (now I’ve got you, son of a bitch). (Women seem to be particularly adept at this game.)