The Scapegoat

If it happens once, it is likely to happen again. Ever been blamed for something that you didn’t do or that was not your fault? Or have fingers pointed at you, with accusations, so they wouldn't be pointed at them, with the-fact-of-the-matter? And you just took it because you couldn’t be sure or somehow felt responsible, regardless? Well, trying to be the bigger person or turning the other cheek are, actually, terrible advice to stick with.

That works in some instances, when there are more important issues at hand than dealing with somebody else’s immaturity and you shouldn’t even be bothered with it. But making it a habit isn’t as noble as it’s made to sound. You basically become an enabler of others’ lack of accountability and more.

People will search for who will take it and dump it on them. Usually, this is someone who doesn’t quite fit in. So that they can assume to have the back up of the rest (a majority) when making you the 'problem', but also because the sense of belonging is already frail and causing issues surrounding dignity (from which the sense of worthiness to exist as you are arises). More of an ideal target if they’ve already shown to not stand their ground and speak up, fighting back.

It can catch you off-guard, and the person doing the blaming might be doing so from a position of abuse of power (they are "above" you in some way or have something they believe that they can use against you), which makes it even more difficult for you to defend yourself and state your case. However, more often than not, the anxiety provoked is just that - a state that they provoked (that benefits them). And if you can push through it, you can shatter the illusion and call them out for what they are: somebody aiming to dodge the repercussions of their actions (or inactions) by sending them your way so that they can escape unscathed and with minimal effort.

When they shift the blame and you shift it back to where it belongs, the focus is now on them - and they might scramble to "prove" how NOT guilty they are. Then fail to do so. More attempts to shift the blame will likely occur, but they’ll be less and less effective. Soon, they’ll be exposed not only as irresponsible, but also as liars.

It is only in rare cases where everybody in proximity will be obstinate and continue to insist that who has been made the scapegoat is indeed to blame. Much of the time, it is merely a spontaneous reaction from an individual prone to peer pressure and/or ruled by ignorance and confusion rather than a calculated scheme from a malicious or even vile collective. If the latter, though, may God and The Divine Forces above be with you, along with all the Righteous Fury that you can muster from within.