"Literally anyone, those hundreds of people who did make their way into the store, literally had to step over or around him or unfortunately on him to get into the Wal-Mart store," said Mulvey.The fact that this article was nearly buried shows we still have remnants of the mob still at work in our myth-making, culture's attempt to speak what really happened.
Mulvey said an autopsy found that Damour, 34, died of asphyxiation related to his trampling, and he conceded that it would be difficult to file criminal charges against any of the shoppers.
"It goes beyond identifying specific people to make a case," Mulvey said. "You have to establish recklessness or intent to harm, which led to his death."
There will probably be lawsuits galore coming out of this tragedy. These lawsuits, an out-cropping of the legal system, attempt to act as a mechanism to right a wrong and to hold off future violence of the mob. We must remember that in ancient times, with no such systems in place, there would have been no mob - only innocent people who would have drummed up a myth to veil what actually took place. Girard 101.
3 comments:
This is a brilliant post, Aramis. The violence happens just off stage: not a sacrificial event per se, but close enough to the action of the ravenous mob to serve the sacrificial appetite. An "unfortunate" event.
My prediction is that we will begin to see more of this kind of thing as middle Americans come farther under the sway of the sacred and out from under the influence of the gospel.
The fraying quickens and hastens on its way. No wonder the powers that be are looking to station tens of thousands of US troops stateside. Someone up there has read Girard.
You know, I had similar thoughts just based on what I've read about Girard here at T4Ms.
So, what would be a good introduction to Girard for an ignorant Swine?
Dear I.S. (alias Tim J.),
I would be remiss if I did not point you to Athos' book Dionysus Mandate first. From their I would have to go with The 4 Mass'keteers' mentor, Gil Bailie's book Violence Unveiled. Girard books are a bit dense but The Girard Reader and I See Satan Fall Like Lightning would be my choices to start someone out with.
Of course staying connected to our blog will help everyone stay sane and civil as they delve into the depths of mimetic theory and the scapegoat mechanism.
Post a Comment