Mimetic Theory & Scapegoats: A Basic Guide

Summary

This video explores the concept of mimetic desire, where our choices are influenced by others' desires, leading to mimetic rivalry and competition. The solution? The scapegoat, an innocent victim blamed for societal issues, restoring peace once 'erased'. The script uses a relatable example of sunglasses to illustrate this process, prompting viewers to reflect on their desires, societal foundations, and the role of scapegoats in resolving conflicts.

Takeaways

• 😀 Mimetic desire is a concept introduced by René Girard, suggesting that our desires are often influenced by what others want.
• 👥 This desire to imitate others can lead to mimetic rivalry, where increased competition arises from individuals desiring the same things.
• 🍔 Choices, such as eating a hamburger over a less popular food, can be attributed to mimetic desire influenced by societal preferences.
• 🤔 Mimetic rivalry can escalate to violence, posing a challenge to societal and cultural development.
• 🐐 The scapegoat mechanism is presented as a societal solution to resolve conflicts arising from mimetic rivalry.
• 🔍 A scapegoat is an innocent party that is blamed for societal issues, and by being targeted, peace is supposedly restored.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The script uses a relatable example of sunglasses to illustrate how mimetic desire and scapegoating can play out in everyday life.
• 👫 The example involves a situation where a friend is blamed (scapegoated) for an individual's misfortune of missing out on desired sunglasses.
• 🔄 The process of scapegoating involves recognition of desire, competition, resentment, blaming, and the restoration of perceived peace.
• 🤝 Understanding mimetic rivalry and scapegoating encourages reflection on our motivations, societal foundations, and the identification of societal scapegoats.

Q & A

What is the concept of mimetic desire?

Mimetic desire is the idea that our wants and actions are influenced by what others want or do, leading us to imitate the desires and behaviors of those around us.

How does mimetic desire lead to mimetic rivalry?

Mimetic rivalry arises when people imitate each other, becoming more alike and thus competing for the same desires, which can escalate into rivalry and potentially violence.

What is the role of the scapegoat in resolving mimetic rivalry?

The scapegoat serves as an innocent victim that takes the blame for society's problems, allowing for the restoration of peace once it is identified and 'erased'.

Why is it important to understand mimetic desire and scapegoating?

Understanding these concepts helps us reflect on our motivations, the foundations of our society, and the dynamics of blame and peace within it.

Can you provide an example of mimetic desire from the script?

An example from the script is liking a post on Facebook because most of your friends have liked it, which is a desire influenced by social imitation.

How does the script illustrate the concept of mimetic rivalry?

The script uses the example of choosing to eat a hamburger over a deep-fried locust due to societal preferences, which can lead to competition and rivalry over shared desires.

What is the five-step process described in the script to show how mimetic rivalry and scapegoating work?

The steps are: 1) seeing someone with a desirable item, 2) wanting the item, 3) feeling resentment when you can't have it, 4) blaming a friend for the situation, and 5) restoring peace by identifying the friend as the scapegoat.

Why does the script suggest that society and culture cannot develop with ongoing mimetic rivalry, competition, and violence?

The script implies that these factors create instability and conflict, preventing the progress and harmony necessary for societal and cultural development.

What does the script suggest as a solution to the problems caused by mimetic rivalry?

The script suggests that the scapegoat mechanism is a solution, where an innocent party is blamed and removed to restore peace and order.

How does the script use the example of sunglasses to explain the scapegoating process?

The script uses the example of a person wanting sunglasses after seeing someone else with a cool pair, feeling resentment when they can't get them, and then blaming a friend for the situation, making the friend the scapegoat.

What is the significance of the scapegoat in the context of the script?

In the context of the script, the scapegoat is significant as it represents a psychological and social mechanism to resolve conflicts and restore a sense of peace and order within a community.

Outlines

00:00

👓 Mimetic Desire and Rivalry

The paragraph introduces the concept of mimetic desire, a theory by René Girard, which posits that human desires are often influenced by the desires of others. This leads to mimetic rivalry, where individuals compete for the same objects or goals, leading to conflict. The paragraph uses the example of liking something on social media because others have liked it, or choosing to eat a hamburger over a less popular food due to societal influence. The concept is further explored through a narrative about sunglasses, where the speaker's friend becomes a scapegoat to resolve the speaker's feelings of resentment and restore a sense of peace.

Keywords

💡Mimetic Desire

Mimetic Desire is a concept introduced by René Girard, which posits that human desires are not innate but are acquired by imitating others. In the video, this concept is used to explain how people often want things or engage in behaviors because they see others doing the same. For instance, liking a post on social media because others have liked it is an example of mimetic desire.

💡Rivalry

Rivalry, as discussed in the video, arises from mimetic desire when individuals imitate each other, leading to competition for the same objects or goals. This competition can escalate and cause conflict, as seen in the example where two people might compete for the last pair of sunglasses because they both desire what the other has.

💡Scapegoating

Scapegoating is a social mechanism where an innocent party is blamed for the problems of a group, allowing the group to restore peace by displacing the blame onto this individual. In the video, the concept is used to illustrate how society can resolve conflicts by identifying a scapegoat, who is then blamed for societal issues, thereby restoring a sense of order and peace.

💡Peace

Peace, in the context of the video, is the state of harmony that society seeks to achieve by resolving conflicts and rivalries. It is mentioned as a goal that can be temporarily achieved through scapegoating, where the removal of the scapegoat is believed to alleviate societal tensions.

💡Innocence

Innocence, as it pertains to the scapegoat, refers to the lack of guilt or responsibility for the problems they are blamed for. The video explains that the scapegoat is often an innocent victim, used as a tool to resolve conflicts within a society.

💡Erasure

Erasure in the video refers to the act of removing or eliminating the scapegoat from society. It is seen as a necessary step to restore peace, as the scapegoat is blamed for societal issues and their erasure is believed to resolve these problems.

💡Cultural Development

Cultural development is mentioned as being hindered by mimetic rivalry and competition. The video suggests that without resolving these issues, society cannot progress culturally or socially.

💡Desire

Desire in the video is shown to be a driving force behind human behavior, often influenced by mimetic processes. It is the underlying motivation for actions, such as wanting a specific pair of sunglasses because someone else has them.

💡Imitation

Imitation is a central theme in the video, as it is the act of copying the behaviors or desires of others. It is the basis for mimetic desire and rivalry, leading to competition and conflict among individuals.

💡Conflict

Conflict is a recurring issue in the video, stemming from mimetic rivalry. It is the result of individuals competing for the same desires, leading to tension and strife within a group or society.

💡Sunglasses

Sunglasses are used as a metaphor in the video to illustrate the concept of mimetic desire and rivalry. The desire for a specific pair of sunglasses, seen on someone else, triggers a chain of events that lead to rivalry and ultimately scapegoating.

Highlights

The concept of mimetic desire was introduced by René Girard, suggesting that our desires are often influenced by what others want.

Mimetic desire is demonstrated through social behaviors like liking something on social media because others have.

Our preferences, such as choosing a hamburger over a deep-fried locust, are shaped by societal influences and not just personal taste.

Mimetic rivalry arises from the competition that occurs as we imitate each other and desire the same things.

Societies struggle to develop when caught in a cycle of mimetic rivalry, competition, and escalating violence.

The scapegoat mechanism is presented as a cultural solution to the problems caused by mimetic rivalry.

A scapegoat is an innocent party that is blamed for societal issues, leading to a temporary restoration of peace.

The concept is illustrated through a relatable example of wanting sunglasses after seeing someone else with a desirable pair.

The five-step process of mimetic rivalry and scapegoating is outlined, starting with desire and ending with blame.

The resentment felt when we cannot obtain a desired item leads us to seek a scapegoat to restore our sense of peace.

Blaming a friend for walking past a shop is used as a practical example of how scapegoating occurs in everyday life.

Understanding mimetic rivalry and scapegoating encourages reflection on the foundations of our desires and societal peace.

The video challenges viewers to consider the origins of their desires and the role of scapegoats in maintaining social order.

The importance of recognizing mimetic behaviors is emphasized for a deeper understanding of human interactions.

The concept of mimetic desire and rivalry is linked to broader societal structures and cultural development.

The scapegoat mechanism is critiqued as a temporary fix rather than a solution to the underlying issues of rivalry.

The video concludes by highlighting the significance of these theories in understanding human behavior and societal dynamics.

Transcripts

[Music]

the net experience scapegoating can be a

complicated theory to understand but

trust me it is worth your time to know

him it all started with this guy green

Sharad who invented the concept of

mimetic desire the metic desire is the

idea that the things we want in life and

the things we do are only things we want

or things we do because other people

want to do them also and as humans we

literally do this all the time

[Music]

have you ever been scrolling down your

newsfeed on Facebook and like something

just because most of your other friends

have liked it

this is mimetic desire or do you know

why you choose to eat a hamburger

instead of a deep fried locust it's

because your desire to eat a hamburger

over a deep fried Lotus is a desire you

acquired from those around you

the problem with mimetic desire is that

it causes mimetic rivalry basically the

more we imitate each other the more

alike we become which creates

competition as we compete for the same

desires and become rivals this creates

even more problems as this rivalry

escalates and becomes violent so with

all this rivalry competition and

violence going on how can society and

culture develop the answer is it can't

enter the scapegoat the scapegoat is

man's solution to the problems of

memetic rivalry the scapegoat is an

innocent victim that takes the blame for

whatever the society's problem is and

once it is taken the blame and has been

eradicated peace is restored let's go

back to the sunglasses to show how this

all works and five easy steps step one

you're walking with your friend and you

see someone walking out of a sunglasses

shop and they are wearing a cool pair of

sunglasses you want those

glasses so you go into the shop with

your friend and you ask the shopkeeper

with the sunglasses and the shopkeeper

says I just saw the last pairs of that

guy the one you just seen wearing

sunglasses in the first place

step three you feel resentful step four

in order to make yourself feel better

for losing out you blame your friend for

making you walk past a shop in the first

place your friend is the scapegoat step

5 now you feel safe in the knowledge

that none of this was your fault

and your friend is the reason behind

your misfortune peace is restored so

that's how the Messick rivalry in

scapegoating works now these things are

very important to know they make us

think about why you want the things you

want what our peaceful society is based

on and who the scapegoats are in our

society

you