106 Wicked: What scapegoating says about us!

Wicked is a wickedly relevant social commentary! Allow Catholic philosopher Rene Girard to explain the phenomena of mimetic desire and scapegoating in us all. Be prepared to be challenged!

Excerpt: "In Wicked, another moment this mimetic desire is particularly on display is in the ballroom scene. Again, when Glinda mocked Elphaba’s outrageous hat, everyone else mocked Elphaba, because everyone just wanted what Glinda wanted. But then Glinda suddenly has a change in her conscience and begins to feels sorry for Elphaba. She boldly steps out and reaches out to Elphaba on the dance floor, and begins to imitate her awkward dance moves. In that moment, Glinda herself wanted to imitate the courage of Elphaba, and Elphaba became the object of Glinda’s mimesis. And then of course, suddenly everyone else changes their attitude towards Elphaba, not because they like her, but because now Glinda now likes her, and just like that, Elphaba’s awkward, undesirable dancing style becomes desirable. Everyone is imitating everyone... except Elphaba, who is probably the most authentic character in the entire story!"

Links:

• Bishop Barron on Rene Girard
• Jonathan Bi - Introduction to Mimetic Theory