scapegoat
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scapegoat
A person or group that is unfairly blamed for the mistakes, misconduct, or problems of others.
Als das Projekt scheiterte, wurde schnell ein Sündenbock gesucht und im jüngsten Teammitglied gefunden.
When the project failed, people quickly looked for a scapegoat and found one in the youngest team member.
The word is made up of 'Sünden' (sins, plural of 'die Sünde') and 'der Bock' (a male goat). It has a biblical origin, in which the sins of a people were symbolically placed on a goat, which was then sent into the desert.
Die Geschichte vom Sündenbock ist Tausende von Jahren alt.
The story of the scapegoat is thousands of years old.
Common verbs used with 'Sündenbock' (scapegoat) are 'suchen' (to look for), 'finden' (to find), and 'brauchen' (to need). The fixed expression 'jemanden zum Sündenbock machen' (to make someone a scapegoat) is also often used.
In jeder Krise suchen die Menschen nach einem Sündenbock.
In every crisis, people look for a scapegoat.
The fixed expression 'jemanden zum Sündenbock machen' (to make someone a scapegoat) follows this pattern: subject + macht + accusative object (the person) + 'zum Sündenbock'.
Die Presse machte den Trainer für die Niederlage zum Sündenbock.
The press made the coach the scapegoat for the defeat.
victim / sacrifice
'das Opfer' and 'der Sündenbock' can both mean a person who suffers because of a bad situation. 'Opfer' is more general: the person has suffered harm through a crime, an accident, or another negative event. A 'Sündenbock' is more specific: this person is blamed for something even though they are not really at fault, or not solely at fault. The words can be confused because a scapegoat is often treated unfairly too. The important point is the question of blame: with 'Opfer', the focus is on the harm suffered; with 'Sündenbock', it is on false blame.
Ihr macht morgen nicht wieder Ali zum Sündenbock, nur weil das Projekt schlecht läuft.
Don't make Ali the scapegoat again tomorrow just because the project is going badly.
Herr Wolf wurde bei dem Einbruch zum Opfer.
Mr. Wolf became a victim in the break-in.