The Logic of Human Sacrifice
Our fascination with human sacrifice is most evident in religion and fiction. We readily accept that Jesus suffered and died for our sins. We enjoy movies that end with the hero completing the mission at the cost of their own life. Even more, we are drawn to stories about real-life heroes who sacrificed their lives to save others.
Most real-life victims of sacrifice, however, never gave their consent, receive no credit, and remain invisible. Those in power are aware of them and decide the benefits are worth their suffering. Within economics, concepts like NAIRU, "Pareto optimality", and "Military Keynesianism" calculate such sacrifices as a necessity and our leaders follow them. Yet, hardly anyone admits that these sacrifices are made consciously—which, due to the unconcious destructive norm, might even be true.
Such examples of human sacrifice can be seen at all levels of society—whether you look at the workplace, the national economy, or international relations:
—At the cost of one person being cast out, the rest of the group becomes all the more tight-knit.
—At the cost of a certain percentage remaining unemployed, the economy runs for the benefit of the rest.
—At the cost of one part of the world living in poverty, another can live in even greater prosperity.
—At the cost of the lives of poor people, their leaders expand their territories.
—At the cost of the lives of the people in nations at war, the global economy keeps moving.
—At the cost of a place where future generations can live, a significant portion of today’s people enjoy unlimited transport.
In fact, our entire social structure rests on the principle that someone must be sacrificed so the rest can have more. We simply accept the suffering of a few for the benefit of the many. We simply accept the suffering of the poor for the benefit of the rich. Only, none of the decision-makers belong to the disadvantaged group. Those we normally choose to sacrifice are the powerless among us.
Research such as Immanuel Wallerstein’s World System Theory and Alf Hornborg’s concept of machine fetishism demonstrates this by showing that the relationship between rich and poor countries is defined by an unequal exchange, a dynamic creating a dependency where poor nations are exploited, their resources drained, and their people kept in poverty.
Where, then, did human rights and the inherent worth of all people go? The truth is that they do not exist, except as ideals.
For instance, the legal system is designed to protect status and property, and even your ability to claim justice depends on these factors. A person without wealth or citizenship cannot get their case heard in court, which shows that our rights are not tied to being human, but to the status we hold.
Built into the basic structure governing our thoughts is an assumption that the powerless are of so little value that their suffering does not count.
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