Blame Me, Not The Usual Suspects

How Scapegoating Misses the Target

Photo by Ibrahim Rifath on Unsplash

It’s gays, it’s blacks, it’s white privilege; it’s feminists, it’s misogynists, it’s (Jewish) bankers; it’s foreigners, it’s migrants, it’s asylum seekers, it’s junkies, it’s drug dealers . . . The list could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

Truth is it’s none of the above and all of the above. It’s me and you. You see, we are all of us too eager to put our own desires above those of others. We have been conditioned to want a bigger house, a bigger car, to dress in the latest fashions.

We have forgotten what we were taught about the ten commandments and the seven deadly sins. Both those lists feature the evil consequences of envy and covetousness. You might say that was just the people with power attempting to keep us down, to deny us what was rightfully ours. You might be correct in that belief. But how can we claim any rights without recognising the reality that rights must be matched by duties? If my neighbour is starving and I have enough for both of us, what gives me the right to keep it all?

Of course, those with power today are preaching the opposite. They use every means at their disposal to persuade us that having the smartest gadgets, food that tastes good hut doesn’t necessarily do us good, is fine. It’s good for the economy, it…