3 ms·

This is crazy, but I'll note that it isn't a peculiarly Italian form of crazy. People rush to find scapegoats after every disaster. In the future, consider be

by patio11 14y ago

This is crazy, but I'll note that it isn't a peculiarly Italian form of crazy. People rush to find scapegoats after every disaster. In the future, consider being as skeptical of those accusations as you were when people accused folks you identify with, like scientists.

ecliptic 14y ago
>People rush to find scapegoats after every disaster They have had ample time regain their composure, this happened in 2009.
- mechanical_fish 14y ago
  The tragic fact about scapegoating is that once a community has chosen a scapegoat it is very hard for it to "regain its composure." Who will be the first to defend the scapegoat? There are big disincentives. You risk being grouped with the scapegoat and suffering the same fate. You risk becoming the new scapegoat. You risk reprisals from the folks who are hiding in shadows while the spotlight follows the scapegoat. And it probably won't even help. Once a person has chosen an opinion, they tend to defend it, and this applies tenfold to a group. (This plays out in social media every day.) Changing a mob's opinion is hard. Time doesn't necessarily help. There are scapegoats that are centuries old. The social dynamics favor letting the scapegoat take the fall. That's why scapegoating is so common that we have an ancient name for the practice, even though almost everyone would agree that it's immoral.
  - trhtrsh 14y ago
    Everything you say is politically true, but the reason we have judges and juries (in the US anyway, I don't know how Italy works) is that they are in a position to stop the BS.
    - rmc 14y ago
      the reason we have judges and juries (in the US anyway, I don't know how Italy works) I assure you that Italy has judges and juries and a modern judicial system. This isn't some teeny tribe of Amazonian warriers here, this is a large country.
fleitz 14y ago
Everyone loves a scapegoat, their forefathers even built scapegoats into the society. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_Virgin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_Virgin
doetoe 14y ago
People will everywhere rush to find scapegoats. What is much more worrisome is when the court supports them. The first thing happens everywhere, the second shouldn't happen in a civilized country

by patio11 14y ago

ecliptic 14y ago

>People rush to find scapegoats after every disaster They have had ample time regain their composure, this happened in 2009.

mechanical_fish 14y ago
The tragic fact about scapegoating is that once a community has chosen a scapegoat it is very hard for it to "regain its composure." Who will be the first to defend the scapegoat? There are big disincentives. You risk being grouped with the scapegoat and suffering the same fate. You risk becoming the new scapegoat. You risk reprisals from the folks who are hiding in shadows while the spotlight follows the scapegoat. And it probably won't even help. Once a person has chosen an opinion, they tend to defend it, and this applies tenfold to a group. (This plays out in social media every day.) Changing a mob's opinion is hard. Time doesn't necessarily help. There are scapegoats that are centuries old. The social dynamics favor letting the scapegoat take the fall. That's why scapegoating is so common that we have an ancient name for the practice, even though almost everyone would agree that it's immoral.
- trhtrsh 14y ago
  Everything you say is politically true, but the reason we have judges and juries (in the US anyway, I don't know how Italy works) is that they are in a position to stop the BS.
  - rmc 14y ago
    the reason we have judges and juries (in the US anyway, I don't know how Italy works) I assure you that Italy has judges and juries and a modern judicial system. This isn't some teeny tribe of Amazonian warriers here, this is a large country.

fleitz 14y ago

Everyone loves a scapegoat, their forefathers even built scapegoats into the society. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_Virgin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_Virgin

doetoe 14y ago

People will everywhere rush to find scapegoats. What is much more worrisome is when the court supports them. The first thing happens everywhere, the second shouldn't happen in a civilized country