Socrates 'Scapegoats In Catching Hell'

Like many scapegoats, Socrates was blamed and hated for having a different outlook on life. He questioned the status quo of society creating an upheaval that Greek citizens felt they had to handle. In 399 B.C, Socrates was killed with hemlock because he corrupted society with his intense questioning. Due to his wisdom, Socrates became a scapegoat for the Greeks simply because they were not prepared to face the reality of knowledge (Fieser). Similarly, all scapegoats like Socrates are faced with blame, hatred, and punishments in order to keep society from realizing they are actually inferior. Because of humans’ unwillingness to admit failure and ignorance, society needs scapegoats to protect their own egos.
Humans rely on scapegoats in order

A baseball documentary, Catching Hell, discusses specific events in which major league baseball teams like the Cubs and Red Sox use scapegoats as an excuse for losing. Specifically, the New York Cubs use Steve Bartman as their scapegoat to blame their loss against the Florida Marlins in 2003. Steve Bartman, a Cubs fan who was used to protect the Cubs’ mistakes, presumably interfered with a foul ball that Moises Alou, the Cubs outfielder, was trying to catch. Shortly following Bartman’s mistake, a shortstop player, Alex Gonzalez, dropped an easy catch; these errors eventually resulted in the Cubs losing the game. Although Gonzalez also made a crucial mistake, Bartman is still the one blamed for the loss. Ron Borges, a friend of Bartman, describes Bartman being the scapegoat for the Cubs by claiming, “The best thing for Gonzalez was Bartman” (Catching Hell). Although Gonzalez made the true error, Bartman takes the blame for the loss of the entire game. Consequently, the fans are protecting their egos from realizing the true failure by using Bartman as an excuse. Since the Cubs’ loss, Steve Bartman has remained the notorious scapegoat that is still blamed for the loss of Cub baseball games. Kenn Babb, an author who interviewed Bartman’s representative, Frank Murtha, describes the long-lasting hatred and unwanted fame Bartman still receives from his mistake due to the ruthless fans that will never admit the Cubs are to blame. Babb explains the view of society on Bartman by stating, “Now [Bartman] was a pariah, the cause and symbol of more losing” (Babb). Since Bartman is described as the “symbol of more losing”, the article suggests that he is causing the Cubs to lose games even though he could not possibly have any influence on recent games. Therefore, the fans use the classic excuse of Bartman’s mistake to protect their egos from realizing the failure of the