I’ll be honest, I was really annoyed that I picked this book after the last chapter. As I’ve already stated, I just don’t think there’s any basis for that Freudian psychosexual crap. However, Downey reinstated my attention at least partially in this chapter.
Downey attempts to defend the claims he ended with last chapter about how we envy our role models to the point of murder because we view them as having the ultimate good, and since we are all striving for this “good” life, we see them as competition. In order to maintain our sense of justice, competition has to be eliminated.
He backs up this claim by saying that the reason we don’t end up murdering our mentors, or anyone else we envy, is because of the order we have created through scapegoats and ranking systems. Both examples are clearly displayed throughout history in all cultures of mankind.
The most vivid image of scapegoats that Downey gives is lynching. The victims, i.e. our scapegoats, represent everything we fear, hate, and/or envy, and by destroying them, we are tangibly taking care of whatever it is we feel is threatening us. Downey writes the powerful phrase, “Astonished by our own savagery, we are suddenly calm.” Thumos has gotten what it wanted, revenge. Although in the case of the scapegoat, the injustice was never really there.
Ranking systems can be as literal as armies ranks and corporate ladders, or as simple as youth respecting their elders. Either way, if the thumos within us understands that those above us are too far above us to replace, then they are no longer a threat, and the desire to replace them is eradicated.
All of this reflects our feeble attempts to maintain order within ourselves and within our communities. In a way it shows that deep down, we all know how messed we can be, both as individuals and as communities.
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