SS: I wrote this essay. Its argument is that the Israel-Gaza conflict has become a machine for producing enemies, and that the pattern behind it is much older than the conflict. Using René Girard’s mimetic theory, I read both sides as casting the other as a monstrous double that has to be expelled so that their own side can feel whole, which is the scapegoat mechanism. Hostility to Muslims and Palestinians fits this pattern. I also draw on Baudrillard to ask how media coverage can replace the events it claims to describe. The title’s claim comes from Girard’s reading of the Gospels, where I argue Christ’s refusal to join the scapegoating crowd (the “first stone” in John 8) is the one move that breaks the cycle instead of feeding it. It’s long and it’s an argument, not a news story, so I’d welcome pushback, especially on whether the Girardian framework holds up and whether the Christian conclusion follows from it.
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Uh, whatever gets theists onboard, though I think less theists is overall better for everyone. Practicality.
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SS: I wrote this essay. Its argument is that the Israel-Gaza conflict has become a machine for producing enemies, and that the pattern behind it is much older than the conflict. Using René Girard’s mimetic theory, I read both sides as casting the other as a monstrous double that has to be expelled so that their own side can feel whole, which is the scapegoat mechanism. Hostility to Muslims and Palestinians fits this pattern. I also draw on Baudrillard to ask how media coverage can replace the events it claims to describe. The title’s claim comes from Girard’s reading of the Gospels, where I argue Christ’s refusal to join the scapegoating crowd (the “first stone” in John 8) is the one move that breaks the cycle instead of feeding it. It’s long and it’s an argument, not a news story, so I’d welcome pushback, especially on whether the Girardian framework holds up and whether the Christian conclusion follows from it.
Uh, whatever gets theists onboard, though I think less theists is overall better for everyone. Practicality.