Week 2: Finding a Scapegoat When Epidemics Strike

Finding a Scapegoat When Epidemics Strike by Donald G. McNeil Jr.

Overview

• The essay correlates historical epidemic events with the tendency to assign blame to specific groups or communities.

• Focus on the Black Death (1348-1351) and recent epidemics such as the swine flu (2009).

Historical Context of the Black Death

• Accusations Against Jews:

  • Jews were often scapegoated during the Black Death in medieval Europe, leading to the massacre of over 200 Jewish communities.

  • They were accused of spreading the plague by poisoning wells.

Reactions to Modern Epidemics

• Swine Flu Outbreak (2009):

  • Initial blame placed on Mexico, invoking violence towards Mexican communities abroad.

  • Incidents included physical confrontations and stoning of buses.

  • Misplaced fears and reactions were paralleled to historical events during the Black Death.

Understanding the Need for Scapegoating

• Expert Insight: Dr. Liise-anne Pirofski highlights the human need to understand suffering, leading to scapegoating as a common reaction in epidemics.

• Historical patterns show that individuals or groups often seek a target to blame during disease outbreaks to make sense of the chaos.

The Erfurt Treasure Exhibition

• A chest containing gold jewelry and silver coins buried by Jews during the Black Death was excavated, hinting at desperate attempts to protect wealth during anti-Jewish uprisings.

• Suggests that many victims never returned after burying their valuables due to the violence against Jews at that time.

Hypotheses on Jewish Immunity

• Dr. Martin J. Blaser suggests Jews had fewer plague fatalities due to spring Passover customs leading to less grain storage and fewer rats in homes.

• Historical Disease Transmission:

  • The origins of Yersinia pestis traced back to Mongolian conquests that spread the disease across trade routes.

  • Complexity of disease origins does not provide clear culpable groups, extending back to ancient migrations.

Cultural Practices and Disease Resistance

• Certain cultural practices historically provided unintentional disease resistance; for instance, some communities viewed local rodents as sacred, which minimized contact.

• Naming Conventions:

  • Disease naming can influence public perception, leading to scapegoating.

  • The World Health Organization sought to avoid stigmatizing names through formal naming protocols.

Examples of Blame in Historical Disease Response

• Polio in Argentina:

  • Dismissive attitudes towards city dwellers blamed for polio outbreaks stemmed from misinterpretation of transmission patterns.

  • Vaccinations were the actual solution to disease proliferation.

• Spanish Flu Misnomer:

  • The 1918 Spanish flu should be termed the Kansas flu due to its origins in the U.S., highlighting misconceptions linked to disease attribution.

Animal-Based Blame

• Misguided public health measures lead to mass culling of specific animals in attempts to control disease spread, like the culling of pigs during the swine flu outbreak.

• These actions often reflect societal biases rather than effective disease management strategies.

Conclusion

• Historical Patterns: Blame often serves no constructive purpose in combating epidemics and may instead distract from effective public health strategies.

• Pope Clement VI's bull during the Black Death aimed to alleviate guilt but did not address the true causes of the epidemic, illustrating the complexity and often misguided nature of blame in the face of disease.