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, 1854. 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." ( IN THE HEBREW BIBLE Two very similar-appearing male goats were brought into the courtyard of the adds that it was pushed over a distant cliff. In Modern Hebrew '' Azazel '' is used derogatorily, as in ''lekh la-Azazel'' ("go to Azazel"), as in "go to Hell ". (Azazel is the word translated as "scapegoat" in the King James Version of the Bible.) IN CHRISTIANITY In some 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. Some Christians believe that rather than representing Jesus, the scapegoat represented , and the other lot for the scapegoat." They believe that after the goat "for the Lord" had symbolically atoned for the sins of the people, the sins were placed on the scapegoat (who represented Satan). In the end of time, they believe the sins of the world will be placed on Satan as a final punishment - not because he can offer atonement, which Christ has already done, but so he can be punished for being the instigator of sin. ''More recently'' the anthropology of 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 (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 his case, however, is that he was resurrected from the dead and shown to be innocent. Thus we are made aware of our own 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. IN METAPHOR Figuratively, a ''scapegoat'' is someone selected to bear Blame for a Calamity . Scapegoating is the act of holding a person, group of people, or thing responsible for a multitude of problems. This is also known as a Frameup . Scapegoats can also be referred to as Patsies . Political/sociological scapegoating Scapegoating is an important tool of Propaganda ; for example, the Jew s were 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 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 . "Scapegoated" groups throughout history have included almost every imaginable group of people: adherents of different religion, people of different race or nation or political belief, people differing in behaviour of 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. In the extreme, this may result in socially-enforced rules regarding speech, as in Political Correctness . Compare: '' Moral Panic ; Hue And Cry ; Witchhunt , Shoot The Messenger , Blame Canada '' Scapegoating in sports In Sports , scapegoats are common. In Baseball , Bill Buckner is blamed for losing the 1986 World Series due to a critical error. In American Football , Scott Norwood is blamed for losing the Super Bowl for the Buffalo Bills during Super Bowl XXV by missing a key field goal. Andrés Escobar , a Colombian Football (soccer) player, was shot dead after he scored an Own Goal that knocked his team out of the 1994 World Cup. The fact that fans of the Chicago Cubs tell of a Curse Of The Billy Goat to explain why their team has not won a National League pennant since 1945 should be viewed as a coincidence of language, regardless of how many fans may believe the story. In 2005 , ESPN Classic created the series The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... , in which it examines why the conceived scapegoat(s) should, in fact, ''not'' be held responsible. 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. 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. Scapegoats in popular culture In the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card game, Scapegoat is a card that allows you to summon 4 Sheep Token s to the field ( Monster Slots required) SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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