The Scapegoat by William Holman Hunt, 1854. The Scapegoat (1856 is a painting by William Holman Hunt which depicts the " Scapegoat " described in the Book of Leviticus, which must William Holman Hunt (b 2 April 1827 in Cheapside, London &ndash d Hunt had this framed in a picture with the quotations "Surely he hath borne our Griefs and carried our Sorrows; Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of GOD and afflicted. " (Isaiah 53:4) and "And the Goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a Land not inhabited. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived " (Leviticus 16:22)

The scapegoat was 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. Leviticus (from Greek Λευιτικός, "relating to the Levites " The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name The rite is described in Leviticus 16. Leviticus (from Greek Λευιτικός, "relating to the Levites "

The word is more widely used as a metaphor, referring to someone who is blamed for misfortunes, generally as a way of distracting attention from the real causes. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects To blame is to hold another person or group responsible for perceived faults whether these faults are real imagined or merely invented for pejorative purposes

Hebrew Bible

Azazel is the word translated as "scapegoat" in the King James Version of the Bible (Leviticus chapter 16). Azazel ( Aramaic: רמשנאל Hebrew: עזאזל Aze'ezel Arabic: عزازل Azazil) is an enigmatic name from the Hebrew scriptures In 1611 King James' translators borrowed the word scapegoat from William Tyndale's translation from around 1530. Tyndale had translated azazel (the name of the cliff the goat was pushed over, or more likely the demon in the desert to whom it was sent) as ez ozel - literally, "the goat that departs"; hence "the goat that escapes," or, for short, "(e)scape goat. " Since this goat, with the sins of the people placed on it, is then sent over a cliff or driven into the wilderness to perish^[1], the word "scapegoat" has come to mean a person, often innocent, who is blamed and punished for the sins, crimes or sufferings of others.

Some modern scholars believe the "goat for Azazel" is sent away to the desert demon of that name, and that this is not the name of a cliff or mountain, nor of the man who takes it into the wilderness. In fact, today in modern Hebrew Azazel is used derogatorily, as in lekh la-Azazel ("go to Azazel"), as in "go to hell". Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering

Christianity

In Christian theology, the story of the scapegoat in Leviticus is interpreted as a symbolic prefiguration of the self-sacrifice of Jesus, who takes the sins of humanity on his own head, having been driven into the 'wilderness' outside the city by order of the high priests. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Leviticus (from Greek Λευιτικός, "relating to the Levites " Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation Also see John 1:29 and Hebrews Chps. 9-10

Girard's socio-religious theory

The Christian anthropologist René Girard has provided a reconstruction of the scapegoat theory. René Girard (born December 25, 1923, Avignon, France) is a world-renowned French Historian, Literary critic 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 (mimetic desire). This causes a triangulation of desire and results in conflict between the desiring parties. This mimetic contagion increases to a point where society is at risk; it is at this point that the scapegoat mechanism is triggered. This is the point where one person is singled out as the cause of the trouble and is expelled or killed by the group. 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. Girard contends that this is what happened in the case of Jesus. The difference in this case, Girard believes, is that he was resurrected from the dead and shown to be innocent; humanity is thus made aware of its violent tendencies and the cycle is broken. Satan, who is seen to be manifested in the contagion, is cast out. Thus Girard's work is significant as a re-construction of the Christus Victor atonement theory. The atonement is a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism.

Metaphor

When used as a metaphor, a scapegoat is someone selected to bear blame for a calamity. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects Scapegoating is the act of holding a person, group of people, or thing responsible for a multitude of problems. Related concepts include frameup, patsy, whipping boy and fall guy. A frameup is an American term referring to the act of framing someone that is providing false evidence or False testimony in order to falsely prove Patsy is a Given name often used as a Diminutive of the Feminine name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, A whipping boy, in the 1600 and 1700s, was a young boy who was assigned to a young prince and was punished when the prince misbehaved or fell behind in his schooling Fall Guy ( Katmata koshin kyoku, 蒲田行進曲 is a 1982 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku.

Political/sociological scapegoating

Scapegoating is an important tool of propaganda; the most famous example in modern history is the singling out in Nazi propaganda of the Jews as the source of Germany's post-World War I economic woes and political collapse. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people Nazi propaganda is the term that describes the psychologically powerful Propaganda within Nazi Germany, much of which was centered around Jews consistently PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Scapegoating is often more devastating when applied to a minority group as they are inherently less able to defend themselves. A tactic often employed is to characterize an entire group of individuals according to the unethical or immoral conduct of a small number of individuals belonging to that group, also known as guilt by association. An association fallacy is an inductive Formal fallacy of the type Hasty generalization or red herring which asserts that qualities of one

"Scapegoated" groups throughout history have included almost every imaginable group of people: adherents of different religions, people of different races or nations, people with different political beliefs, or people differing in behaviour from the majority. However, scapegoating may also be applied to organizations, such as governments, corporations, or various political groups.

In industrialised societies, scapegoating of traditional minority groups is increasingly frowned upon.

Mobbing is a form of sociological scapegoating which occurs in the workplace. Mobbing is a term referring to a type of animal behaviour A newer use refers to a group behavioural phenomenon in workplaces ^[2] A summary of research on workplace mobbing by Kenneth Westhues, Prof. of Sociology University of Waterloo, published in OHS Canada, Canada's Occupational Health & Safety Magazine, Vol. 18, No. 8, December 2002, pp. 30-36.

"Scapegoating is an effective if temporary means of achieving group 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 co-worker's life. . . . Mobbing can be understood as the stressor to beat all stressors. It is an impassioned, collective campaign by co-workers to exclude, punish, and humiliate a targeted worker. 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 through the workplace 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. "

Scapegoating in sports

In sports, scapegoats are common. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively In baseball, Bill Buckner is blamed for losing the 1986 World Series due to a critical error, and in Japan, the Hanshin Tigers blame the Curse of the Colonel on their repeated failure to win at the Japan Series. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each William Joseph "Bill" Buckner (born December 14, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago The 1986 World Series pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. refers to an Urban legend regarding a reputed Curse placed on the Japanese Kansai-based Hanshin Tigers Baseball team by deceased KFC or is a seven-game championship played by the teams of Japan 's two professional baseball leagues (the Central League and Pacific League) Steve Bartman was blamed for catching a ball that could have been recorded as an out for the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 National League Championship Series and would have sent the Cubs to the World Series for the first time in 58 years. The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. The National League Championship Series was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to October 15 to determine the champion

In American football, Scott Norwood is blamed for losing Super Bowl XXV for the Buffalo Bills by missing the probable game winning field goal. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Scott Allan Norwood (born July 17, 1960 in Alexandria Virginia) is a former American football Placekicker in the NFL who Wide Right or 47 wide right describes kicker Scott Norwood 's missed 47-yard field goal attempt during Super Bowl XXV Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa Florida to decide the National Football League The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo New York Metropolitan area, playing seven of their home games in the suburb

Andrés Escobar, a Colombian football player, was shot dead after he scored an own goal that knocked his team out of the 1994 World Cup. Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (March 13 1967 - July 2 1994 was a Colombian soccer player who was shot and killed in Medellín. Football is the word given to a number of similar Team sports all of which involve (to varying degrees kicking a Ball with the foot in an attempt to score a An own goal occurs in Association football and other goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team

Marc-Andre Fleury, a Canadian ice hockey goalie is blamed for losing the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships gold medal game to the United States. Marc-André Fleury (born November 28, 1984) is a Canadian professional Ice hockey Goaltender playing for the Pittsburgh Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. The 2004 World Junior (Under 20 Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 26, 2003 and January 5, 2004 in As he came out of his net to clear the puck out of the defensive zone it bounced off Patrick O'Sullivan's leg and into the empty net. Patrick O'Sullivan may refer to Patrick O'Sullivan (hockey player Patrick B

Herschelle Gibbs is held as the scapegoat for Australia's triumph and hence South Africa's exit from the Cricket World Cup of 1999 for dropping Australian captain Steve Waugh, who went on to score a century to lead his side to victory and survival in the tournament. Herschelle Herman Gibbs (born 23 February 1974 in Cape Town) is a South African Cricketer more specifically a Batsman. The Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International (ODI Cricket. Stephen Rodger Waugh, AO (born 2 June 1965 in Canterbury New South Wales) is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of Mark Waugh When the two sides met again in the semi-final South Africa were eliminated. Gibbs' was particularly criticised for the nature of his drop. Having seemingly caught the ball he instantly tossed it into the air in celebration, thereby failing to secure complete control. Immediately after the incident Waugh reputedly told Gibbs, "You've just dropped the World Cup". Both parties have subsequently denied this.

Scapegoating in psychoanalytic theory

Psychoanalytic theory holds that unwanted thoughts and feelings can be unconsciously projected onto another who becomes a scapegoat for one's own problems. Psychoanalytic theory is a general term for approaches to Psychoanalysis which attempt to provide a conceptual framework more-or-less independent of clinical practice rather In Psychology, psychological projection (or projection bias) is a Defense mechanism in which one attributes one’s own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts This concept can be extended to projection by groups. In this case the chosen individual, or group, becomes the scapegoat for the group's problems. In other words, blaming another person or thing, for your own problems.

The Karpman Drama Triangle does a fine job of illustrating the Rescuer, Persecutor and Victim roles attendant in the scapegoating dynamic in any relationship of three or more people. The drama triangle is a psychological and social model of human interaction in Transactional analysis ("TA" first described by Stephen Karpman, which has Rodger Garrett asserts that early life habituation to scapegoating can result in a paranoid interpersonal orientation with a likelihood of passive-aggressive personality traits in adolescence leading to unfortunate parataxical integrations (see Harry Stack Sullivan) between parents and teenagers. Passive-aggressive behavior refers to passive sometimes obstructionist resistance to following authoritative instructions in Interpersonal or occupational Herbert "Harry" Stack Sullivan ( February 21, 1892, Norwich New York – January 14, 1949, Paris, France

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. Identity is an Umbrella term used throughout the Social sciences to describe an individual's comprehension of him or herself as a discrete separate entity Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a Personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality and Attention -seeking including an Narcissism describes the trait of excessive Self-love, based on Self-image or Ego. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD is a Chronic Anxiety disorder most commonly characterized by obsessive Distressing Intrusive thoughts 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. Personality disorder, formerly referred to as a Character Disorder is a class of mental disorders characterized by rigid and on-going patterns of feeling thinking and behavior Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking

Scapegoating in ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks practiced a scapegoating rite in which a cripple or beggar or criminal (the pharmakos) was cast out of the community, either in response to a natural disaster (such as a plague, famine or an invasion) or in response to a calendrical crisis (such as the end of the year). Pharmakos ( Greek: φαρμακος in Ancient Greek religion was a kind of human Scapegoat (a slave a cripple or a criminal who was chosen and expelled The scholia refer to the pharmakos being killed, but many scholars reject this, and argue that the earliest evidence (the fragments of the iambic satirist Hipponax) only show the pharmakos being stoned, beaten and driven from the community. ^[3]

See also

• Moral panic
• Hue and cry
• Witch-hunt
• Shooting the messenger
• Social Stigma

References

External links

• The Scapegoats UK Rock band

http://www.thescapegoats.co.uk

• Scapegoating in Group Analytic Theory (PDF files)
• The Scapegoat Society

http://www.scapegoat.demon.co.uk/

• As a Yu-Gi-Oh!-TradingCard