The Use of Scapegoats In Persuasion

"United We Stand". For a while there nearly every other car in the country had a bumper sticker appealing to us to stand united, implicitly suggesting that this was our only salvation, because what happens when we don't stand united? That's right. We fall divided.

Is this really true? If we buy into the idea at the core of the current political agenda (standing united, defeating terrorists, spreading democracy) will we all be just fine? Or in doing this do we blindly agree with an entire world of presuppositions?

With scapegoating, the best way to get us all on board-to unite-is to have a common enemy, a boogie man, a Satan, Saddam Hussein or a terrorist to rage against.

Christianity uses scapegoating: Satan. The government uses scapegoating: 1950's = Commies; 2000's = Terrorists. Most recently we have Scooter Libby. (Though the distinction has been made that he's more of a "fall guy" than a "scapegoat" because scapegoat implies using an innocent to pin the blame on while fall guy's usually share the blame.)

It was popular in Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials. By diverting attention away from the state and church as the cause for difficulties in people's lives, witches (read: women) were burned at the stake as the core cause of societies ills.

Religion is great for scapegoating. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent. The Baptists show how the Mormons miss the point and lead people astray and visa versa. In order for Christianity to exist, Satan is the 'necessary evil', so to speak. Without Satan there is nothing to save humanity from. The concept of Satan has single-handedly maintained Christianity throughout the years.

Again, I'm not debating the existence of Satan or pushing my religious or political beliefs, I am simply showing how this strategy is used.

There are multiple layers of scapegoating at play currently in politics. Focusing on gay marriage and stem cell research as scapegoats diverts attention from the body count in Iraq.

We saw scapegoating rise to the status of national phenomenon during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It even got a new name: The Blame Game. The mayor blamed the governor and the president. The governor blamed the president and the mayor. The president congratulated his FEMA appointee and suggested things were going swell until he realized no one was buying it and then proceeded to blame the governor and the mayor. Some folks in the government even suggested that no one was to blame, it was a natural disaster.