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by whiterknight 812 days ago
Paradoxes like this are actually defining characteristics of the scapegoat.

- he is a rich billionaire but also a broke failure

- he is the most hated, but also the most popular

- he has been a ny elite (insider) for decades, but his base is rural and blue collar (outsider).

- he is dumb and unsophisticated but also a cunning planner and schemer

Supporters are not immune from the scapegoat effect. They also believe one man can control the universe.
2 comments
whiterknight 812 days ago
In Peter Thiels 2013 book he describes successful founders and extreme personalities as having similar characteristics. It’s hard not to make similar observations about Musk (super genius, who is an idiot).

The social dynamics are too powerful to perceive anything real about them.

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AnimalMuppet 812 days ago
But supporters are not going to unite with haters to kill Trump, either literally or figuratively. Sure, Trump has a lot of the characteristics, but the way Girard says the scapegoat plays out is not going to happen with Trump. Even if he loses the election - even if he winds up in jail - a significant chunk of the country is still going to support him. He's not going to be universally condemned and unite everyone by their rejection of him.
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whiterknight 812 days ago
Girardian theory describes the kinds of people who have scapegoat potential. It doesn’t prophecy that every insider/outsider will get killed, but that they have or are a sign of mimetic energy.

We are experiencing capulets vs mortigues.

Girard is also describing ancient origins. He argues the effectiveness and violence of scapegoating is reduced in modern context.

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082349872349872 812 days ago
> capulets vs mortigues

see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guelphs_and_Ghibellines

or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots#Background

My theory is that any hegemons (lacking significant exterior scapegoat possibilities) sooner or later divide into factions.

When I was growing up in the States, there was a significant overlap between the left R wing and the right D wing. Since I left the Old Country, it seems (from afar) like that overlap has disappeared, and maybe there's even unoccupied space where the middle used to be.

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