Merriam Webster defines a scapegoat as "One that is made to bear the blame of others" or " one that is the object of irrational hostility"
This sounds fitting in both the case of the communists and salem witch trials. Someone has a problem that is very difficult to fix, but they need to fix it in order to cope. So what do they do? They target someone as the cause of all their trouble. If they give their fear a real form, they will know how to fix it. If they know how to fix it ( or think they know) then they can sleep easy at night knowing everything is on its way to getting better.
When scapegoating , it is important to align yourself with something you consider to be stable and reliable. To have on your side, a real force to be reckoned with. For the blacklisters, it was democracy and, more importantly, AMERICA. In The Crucible its the glory and righteousness of THE CHURCH.
This really all goes back to what I was saying in class about how the desire for security is what drives people to persecute others. It just amazes me that we can find this one need to be the root of almost all persecution. The Nazis believed the jews threatened their way of life. The americans didn't feel safe around japanese after pearl harbor so they threw them in internment camps. History is riddled with these examples.
What also amazes me is that it isn't the desire to BE safe that fuels this horror, its the desire to FEEL safe.
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