I thought I was glad that I was born in an era of human history without ritual sacrifice, burning witches, or public hanging - and instead, access to medicine to prevent an early death, glasses so I can see, an inhaler so I can breathe, etc.
Then I researched and realised:
People still blame scapegoats: when a society faces massive, inexplicable stress, someone will start pointing fingers (Said René Girard etc)
40,000 BCE: animal sacrifice for successful hunts
12,000 BCE: human sacrifice exploded with agriculture to ensure a good harvest
500 BCE: religion and philosophy start to reduce ritual sacrifice
1500: burning witches begins at the same time science develops
1800: public hanging continues despite the advent of science. Cesare Beccaria etc introduces modern justice (proportional crime for reason with rehab). the killings move more inside prisons instead
2006: Farage blames immigrants as a scapegoat, instead of the wealthy elite of capitalism.
Public shaming, cancel culture and blaming immigrants is the modern live burial, temple sacrifice, gallows, or pyre.
Farage is taking advantage of a modern societal stress. Rather than the promise of a good harvest, it's about cost of living - but it's actually caused by the wealth divide. It's just easier to point blame at outsiders than the top 1%.
