Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - October 28, 2024
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)


  1. Scapegoating and the End of Democracy
  2. All-Creatures.Org Ministry
  3. Christian Vegetarian Association Marketplace

1. Scapegoating and the End of Democracy
 
As I’ve discussed in previous episodes, scapegoating occurs when there is a crisis that threatens to tear a community apart. The scapegoating victim(s) are blamed for the crisis, and the collective condemnation and eradication (by expulsion or murder) or the scapegoat unites the community. When there is scapegoating, there is a perceived crisis. In past essays, I’ve focused on the scapegoat victims. I’ve emphasized that the victims often, to a degree, contribute to the crisis, but in general they are not nearly as responsible as the scapegoating mob thinks they are. Now, I want to think about the crisis.

Often, the crisis is a self-limited natural disaster, such as a plague or an earthquake. After victimizing scapegoat(s), the event ends or does not recur, seeming to validate the claim that the scapegoat(s) were responsible. We know much more than ancient peoples about these events thanks to modern science, and relatively fewer people today interpret plagues and natural disasters to the sinfulness of one or more individuals.

Increasingly, it seems, the perceived crisis is financial vulnerability and cultural decay. Many people worry about job stability, paying debts, and providing for their families; and many people think that “alternative lifestyles” threaten to undermine social institutions that have bonded communities. Because there might be elements of truth in such concerns, and because social media “echo chambers” can provide the appearance of consensus around ideas that have little or no validity, self-serving bad actors can exploit general anxiety to promote scapegoating.

Many of these bad actors are politicians who gain support by convincing voters that they will fight against those who seek to destroy our culture. Others are religious fanatics who believe that they act according to divine will if they help destroy the enemies of God, even if they do so by spreading lies. Some are hostile authoritarian foreign actors, who sow seeds of distrust and hatred to undermine the vital institutions of democracies.

Our vital institutions, such as an independent judiciary, property rights, a free press, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and respect for the Constitution* are essential in preserving our representative democracy and preventing authoritarian rule. Much of the general prosperity and well-being of democratic regimes during the last two centuries are consequences of having institutions that protect individuals against the tendency of autocrats to steal wealth and demand cultural conformity. Autocrats who find their nefarious plans undermined by democracies have a playbook. First, they undermine the institutions that protect democracies by claiming that the institutions are corrupt and “controlled” by malevolent forces. The honest public servants who frustrate the illegal machinations of the would-be autocrat receive the greatest condemnation, prompting many of them to resign their positions in disgrace or fear. Then, claiming to “protect the people,” autocrats gain power through military coups or through the electoral process itself. Once in power, an autocrat purges the few remaining honest public servants and can then act with impunity, because the institutions that once checked their power have become impotent.

Stable democracies are difficult to build and much more easily destroyed. Once lost, attempts to regain democratic governance are often unsuccessful and are always very bloody. With the advent of sophisticated surveillance technologies, empowered by artificial intelligence, it might be impossible to reinstitute democratic rule. As the election season approaches, I encourage people to reflect on which candidates seem most likely to defend the democratic institutions upon which general well-being depends.

I will next explore how democratic rule impacts nonhumans and advocates for nonhumans.

* The United States Oath of Office is, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Perhaps the single most important component of the United States Constitution deals with the peaceful transfer of power.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D. 


2. Sister Ministry

Visit www.all-creatures.org for a wealth of news, commentary, and recipes that inform and empower a vegan lifestyle.


3. Christian Vegetarian Association Marketplace

We offer books, booklets, a video, bumper stickers, and T-shirts at  www.christianveg.org/materials.htm


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