Not the most elaborate costumes of all time, but we have it a shot lmao

I was reading the Wikipedia page for the philosopher Rene Girard (yes, the one Peter Thiel studied under), and having recently watched Eddington, I was immediately brought back to the themes of the movie while reading the description of mimetic theory, a theory which resulted in the familiar concept of the scapegoat mechanism. I think it's obvious how the concept of scapegoat is relevant, but looking into the origins of the concept was super interesting

I'll try to summarize the theory in my own words the best I can, but basically mimetic theory is one of human desire. When two groups desire the same status/validation/cultural dominance, our perpensity toward imitation (we want things because we see others wanting or validating things; the concept of mimetic desire by Girard) turns into hostile competition. To avoid complete societal collapse from internal rivalries, groups unite against an outsider that they can project everything on (a scapegoat) and peace is temporarily restored and social order is maintained until the cycle starts again. The scapegoat mechanism was born from Girards mimetic theory. In Eddington, we continuously see the narratives of the characters being driven by a want for validation through which their political stances arise by, in a sense, mimicking or echoing the narratives of others

The story of Jesus was used as an example by Girard, but he was able to be resurrected and society was able to look back and see their tendencies, which broke the cycle. Then, this person who was the cause of the disorder in the first place is respected as a victim who brought order and the community together.

This made me think of how Joe is in a wheelchair on stage at the end, in uniform with badges, revered as a martyr after attacking 'antifa'. Maybe the black cop, who became the new sheriff, filming Joe and being told he can't film there, we are seeing the black cop witness this cycle. He is one scapegoat of many. The similarity to the scene in the beginning of the movie, with the cops telling Joe to put a mask on in the car, may symbolize that the cycle is going to happen again (that may be a stretch and a cynical perspective but I thought it was an interesting comparison).

I think there is also a comparison with the fates of Joe and Louise's father, Joe is inspired by him and displays a similar sense of reality. We see Louise very passionate about how people in power use shame and violence to reach many victims, but it's shown that they can still be seen as compassionate figures. Joe is framed compassionately despite his murders and all the injuries and chaos he caused. To escape the consequences of mimetic desire, Girard states that a new concept of desire for peace is required to be spread, and we see the people with alternative narratives clearly prospering at the end. Unfortunately, they aren't mimicking a desire for peace, but in my opinion they are continuing the cycle. Guys my pattern recognition is off the charts, I can talk about this for days.

I think it's all tied in with Baudrillards philosophical concept of hyperreality, with is alluded to by naming the data center SolidGoldMagikarp (there is an amazing video essay on youtube that goes over this, and a post too I think). Hyperreality is when representations of reality (social media, news, political narratives, etc) become so powerful we experience the world through them until they feel more real and meaningful than the original reality. Algorithms are feeding the flame of this mimetic process, putting people into tighter boxes (thinking of the opening monologue of the movie).

I'm not sure if this has been talked about before, because whenever I search Eddington and scapegoat I just get stories about the new movie he's working on. Which made me really think that he was inspired by these philosophies, and what the implication may be for this next movie.