Scapegoating and Mobbing
Scapegoat: A goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in Judaism during the times of the Temple in Jerusalem. The word is more widely used as a metaphor to refer to someone who is blamed for some misfortune.
Scapegoating: The act of holding a person, group of people, or thing responsible for a multitude of problems.
Azazel is the word that has been translated as "scapegoat" in the King James Version of the Bible (Leviticus chapter 16). King James' translators actually borrowed the term from William Tyndale's translation -- the Hebrew azazel (refering to either the name of the cliff the goat was pushed over, or the demon it was sent to) as ez ozel - literally, "the goat that departs"; hence "the goat that escapes," or, for short, "(e)scape goat." This goat, carrying the sins of the people, is thrown over a cliff (or pushed out into the wilderness) to perish. So, the word "scapegoat" has come to mean a person, often innocent, who is made to carry the blame and punishment for the sins, crimes or sufferings of others.
Controversial Christian anthropologist, René Girard, has provided a reconstruction of the scapegoat theory. In Girard's view, it is humankind, not God, who has the problem with violence. Humans are driven by desire for that which another has or wants. This causes a triangulation of desire and results in conflict between both parties. Some people try to relieve the conflict by singling out a person (or group of people) as the cause of the trouble and get the group to unite and expell or kill them -- this person is the scapegoat. Social order is restored as people are contented that they have solved the cause of their problems by removing the scapegoated individual, and the cycle begins again.
Scapegoating is an important tool of propaganda; the most famous example in recent history is the Jews being singled out in Nazi propaganda as the source of Germany's economic woes and political collapse. Scapegoating is often more devastating when applied to a minority group (or sub-group of a larger group) as they are inherently less able to defend themselves. A tactic often employed is to characterize a group of people according to the unethical or immoral conduct of a small number of individuals belonging to that group, also known as "guilt by association." That is how you can get a whole sub-group to act as a scapegoat.
Mobbing is a form of sociological scapegoating which can occur in the workplace or in any societal setting. From At The Mercy Of The Mob, by Kenneth Westhues, Prof. of Sociology University of Waterloo:
An early life habituation to scapegoating can result in a paranoid interpersonal orientation with a likelihood of passive-aggressive personality traits in adolescence. If the scapegoating pattern continues into early adulthood, development towards healthy personal identity is likely to be compromised, with strong likelihood of histrionic, compensatory narcissistic, and/or obsessive-compulsive, as well as passive-aggressive traits. Fully-criterial personality disorders are likely, leading to severe, ego-protecting "affect management behaviors" including alcoholism, drug addiction and other substance and behavioral process disorders.
How can you avoid scapegoating? Well, here's a good starting point:
Scapegoating: The act of holding a person, group of people, or thing responsible for a multitude of problems.
Azazel is the word that has been translated as "scapegoat" in the King James Version of the Bible (Leviticus chapter 16). King James' translators actually borrowed the term from William Tyndale's translation -- the Hebrew azazel (refering to either the name of the cliff the goat was pushed over, or the demon it was sent to) as ez ozel - literally, "the goat that departs"; hence "the goat that escapes," or, for short, "(e)scape goat." This goat, carrying the sins of the people, is thrown over a cliff (or pushed out into the wilderness) to perish. So, the word "scapegoat" has come to mean a person, often innocent, who is made to carry the blame and punishment for the sins, crimes or sufferings of others.
Controversial Christian anthropologist, René Girard, has provided a reconstruction of the scapegoat theory. In Girard's view, it is humankind, not God, who has the problem with violence. Humans are driven by desire for that which another has or wants. This causes a triangulation of desire and results in conflict between both parties. Some people try to relieve the conflict by singling out a person (or group of people) as the cause of the trouble and get the group to unite and expell or kill them -- this person is the scapegoat. Social order is restored as people are contented that they have solved the cause of their problems by removing the scapegoated individual, and the cycle begins again.
Scapegoating is an important tool of propaganda; the most famous example in recent history is the Jews being singled out in Nazi propaganda as the source of Germany's economic woes and political collapse. Scapegoating is often more devastating when applied to a minority group (or sub-group of a larger group) as they are inherently less able to defend themselves. A tactic often employed is to characterize a group of people according to the unethical or immoral conduct of a small number of individuals belonging to that group, also known as "guilt by association." That is how you can get a whole sub-group to act as a scapegoat.
Mobbing is a form of sociological scapegoating which can occur in the workplace or in any societal setting. From At The Mercy Of The Mob, by Kenneth Westhues, Prof. of Sociology University of Waterloo:
Scapegoating is an effective TEMPORARY means of achieving group [or family] solidarity, when it cannot be achieved in a more constructive way. It is a turning inward, a diversion of energy away from serving nebulous external purposes toward the deliciously clear, specific goal of ruining a disliked person's life. It is an impassioned, collective campaign by some to exclude, punish, and humiliate a targeted person or sub-group. Initiated most often by a person in a position of power or influence, mobbing is a desperate urge to crush and eliminate the target. The urge travels like a virus, infecting one person after another. The target comes to be viewed as absolutely abhorrent, with no redeeming qualities, outside the circle of acceptance and respectability, deserving only of contempt. As the campaign proceeds, a steadily larger range of hostile ploys and communications comes to be seen as legitimate.
An early life habituation to scapegoating can result in a paranoid interpersonal orientation with a likelihood of passive-aggressive personality traits in adolescence. If the scapegoating pattern continues into early adulthood, development towards healthy personal identity is likely to be compromised, with strong likelihood of histrionic, compensatory narcissistic, and/or obsessive-compulsive, as well as passive-aggressive traits. Fully-criterial personality disorders are likely, leading to severe, ego-protecting "affect management behaviors" including alcoholism, drug addiction and other substance and behavioral process disorders.
Anyone in the Buddha Field for very long, probably participated in both sides of the scapegoating dynamic.
Neither side wins.
Let it end. Don't get drawn into it.
For yourself.
It's not healthy.
Let it end. Don't get drawn into it.
For yourself.
It's not healthy.
How can you avoid scapegoating? Well, here's a good starting point:
- Deliver negative feedback directly to the guilty party rather than talking about the problem with others.
- When it comes to mistakes, make it clear you don’t expect people to never make a mistake, simply to learn from them and avoid repeating them.
- Encourage everyone to take ownership for their successes and failures and lead by example.
- Don’t talk negative behind someone’s back – get all the parties together and talk about the issue openly (like with the blog.)
- Ask questions, seek understanding, offer guidance and encouragement and aim for a successful/healthy outcome for all concerned.
