April 17, 2025
Sometimes, deeper matters beg for deep discussion. In this 126th episode of Gracearchy with Jim Babka, I describe something hardly anyone recognizes but that you won’t be able to overlook once you hear it…
Libertarianism is a paradigm of empathy. We root for the misfits, the underdogs, and we defend the seemingly indefensible. We love justice and mercy.
Scapegoating
Good Friday is the perfect time to discuss scapegoating.
Caiaphas, the high priest, declared, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
Now, because this is a list for voluntaryists, I suspect I need to clarify something…
I’m opposed to religion
It’s a system grounded in scapegoating and sacrifice.
And I’m opposed to politics for pretty much the same reason.
We can move in a libertarian direction in direct proportion to how much we move away from the blame-game, and how much we turn towards our neighbors. Indeed…
Social problems should be solved by voluntary human cooperation, period. Government will never work.
OR…
Gracearchy with Jim Babka is significantly inspired by the work of René Girard. Girard discovered the power of imitation to shape human desire. He revealed a pattern of rivalry that would heat up into civil war. He showed us how cultures and religions obtained peace through a founding murder – the scapegoat – and how they ritualized the event.
Republicans and Democrats, both, want to sell us the delicious tears of our enemies. They are about aggression. They cannot offer us peace or prosperity, let alone Zero Aggression.
Politics and statism don’t happen in a vacuum. The fix does NOT start with a Movement. The real issue is that we can be part of the problem!
So, in this episode…
– We discuss not only the abstract human capacity for evil, but also my capacity and your capacity for it. As we confront that uncomfortable truth, we reveal how the Selma March’s “underthrow” wielded more lasting power than any angry mob ever could.
– We explain why spiritual animation makes more sense of human behavior than evolutionary psychology does.
– We connect the scapegoat with Atonement >> At-One-Ment.
– We show how modern “executive powers” are historically rooted in an anti-grace theology.
Tune into this episode titled “Girard’s Scapegoat on Good Friday 2025.”
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ZAP The State and have a nice day,
Jim Babka
Host, Gracearchy with Jim Babka
Co-creator, Zero Aggression Project
Jim Babka is the co-creator of the Zero Aggression Project. However, the views expressed in the show do not necessarily reflect those of the board, staff, or supporters of the Zero Aggression Project (Downsize DC Foundation).