Jan. 1, 2026
The Scapegoat Mechanism: Why Society Needs You to Feel Broken
If you've ever left a professional support session feeling more isolated than when you arrived, it’s worth asking if the focus was on your "healing" or your "adjustment." In Part 2 of this series, The Loneliness Industry explores the sociological concept of the Scapegoat Mechanism—a group dynamic often used to manage individuals who struggle to fit into modern societal structures.
Using the work of René Girard, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Michel Foucault, we examine why reflective and empathetic individuals are often the ones who carry the collective weight of societal tension. This episode is an analysis of the process that can internalize systemic friction as personal failure.
Inside the Episode:
- The Krishnamurti Pivot: Why struggling to adapt can be a sign of systemic awareness.
- The 4-Point Audit: A perspective-shift to help you re-evaluate your self-perception.
- The Selection Process: How groups identify individuals to carry collective responsibility.
- Mimetic Desire: Using René Girard to explain the "common enemy" dynamic in social cohesion.
00:00 Introduction
01:56 The Krishnamurti Story: Truth Is a Pathless Land
02:45 Visuals – Theosophists Graphic
04:34 Why Failing to Adjust Can Be a Sign of Health
08:46 Quiz – The 4-Point Decent Person Test
12:06 The Scapegoat Selection Process
21:33 What Is Scapegoating?
26:36 Girard on Societal Scapegoating
28:43 The DSM & the Codification of Scapegoating
30:18 Girard and Mimetic Desire
34:48 What Unifies Human Societies
38:25 Problems Chihuahuas Have Unearthed Regarding Mimetic Desire
41:39 Scapegoating as a Tool for Social Order
44:51 The DSM as Institutionalised Scapegoating
If you scored 4/4 on the Decent Person test, it would be a pleasure to meet you! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
The Works Referenced:
• Gabor Maté – The Myth of Normal
• René Girard – The Scapegoat & Violence and the Sacred
• Jiddu Krishnamurti – The First and Last Freedom
• Michel Foucault – Madness and Civilization
• Christopher Lasch – The Culture of Narcissism
• Sara Ahmed – The Cultural Politics of Emotion
• Thomas Szasz – The Myth of Mental Illness
Don’t Miss Episodes – Even Though The Algorithm Wants You To:
Join the mailing list at https://thelonelinessindustry.net
René Girard, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Michel Foucault, Mimetic Theory, The Scapegoat Mechanism, Sociology of Loneliness, Christopher Lasch, Systemic Trauma, Social Cohesion, Philosophy of Mind, Institutional Critique, The Loneliness Industry, Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal, Cultural Psychology, Social Isolation, Identity and Society, Moral Philosophy, Internalized Shame, Group Dynamics, Outsider Perspective.
loneliness,loneliness awareness,help for loneliness,structural reasons for loneliness, philosophy, psychology, sociology, french philosophy, exstentialism, philosophy of loneliness, cultural critique, anti-capitalist, capitalism, critique of capitalism, self help, therapy trauma, red flags, blame shifting, toxic people, scapegoat
Using the work of René Girard, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Michel Foucault, we examine why reflective and empathetic individuals are often the ones who carry the collective weight of societal tension. This episode is an analysis of the process that can internalize systemic friction as personal failure.
Inside the Episode:
- The Krishnamurti Pivot: Why struggling to adapt can be a sign of systemic awareness.
- The 4-Point Audit: A perspective-shift to help you re-evaluate your self-perception.
- The Selection Process: How groups identify individuals to carry collective responsibility.
- Mimetic Desire: Using René Girard to explain the "common enemy" dynamic in social cohesion.
00:00 Introduction
01:56 The Krishnamurti Story: Truth Is a Pathless Land
02:45 Visuals – Theosophists Graphic
04:34 Why Failing to Adjust Can Be a Sign of Health
08:46 Quiz – The 4-Point Decent Person Test
12:06 The Scapegoat Selection Process
21:33 What Is Scapegoating?
26:36 Girard on Societal Scapegoating
28:43 The DSM & the Codification of Scapegoating
30:18 Girard and Mimetic Desire
34:48 What Unifies Human Societies
38:25 Problems Chihuahuas Have Unearthed Regarding Mimetic Desire
41:39 Scapegoating as a Tool for Social Order
44:51 The DSM as Institutionalised Scapegoating
If you scored 4/4 on the Decent Person test, it would be a pleasure to meet you! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
The Works Referenced:
• Gabor Maté – The Myth of Normal
• René Girard – The Scapegoat & Violence and the Sacred
• Jiddu Krishnamurti – The First and Last Freedom
• Michel Foucault – Madness and Civilization
• Christopher Lasch – The Culture of Narcissism
• Sara Ahmed – The Cultural Politics of Emotion
• Thomas Szasz – The Myth of Mental Illness
Don’t Miss Episodes – Even Though The Algorithm Wants You To:
Join the mailing list at https://thelonelinessindustry.net
René Girard, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Michel Foucault, Mimetic Theory, The Scapegoat Mechanism, Sociology of Loneliness, Christopher Lasch, Systemic Trauma, Social Cohesion, Philosophy of Mind, Institutional Critique, The Loneliness Industry, Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal, Cultural Psychology, Social Isolation, Identity and Society, Moral Philosophy, Internalized Shame, Group Dynamics, Outsider Perspective.
loneliness,loneliness awareness,help for loneliness,structural reasons for loneliness, philosophy, psychology, sociology, french philosophy, exstentialism, philosophy of loneliness, cultural critique, anti-capitalist, capitalism, critique of capitalism, self help, therapy trauma, red flags, blame shifting, toxic people, scapegoat