Rather than bravely sacrificing himself for the collective good like Protesilaus, Bragg is more akin to he who casts the first stone. He is not sacrificing himself for the greater good, but instead choosing a scapegoat from the completely corrupt political class upon whom to act out collective violence. His casting of the first stone will start a mimetic contagion of violence, in which criminal prosecution of one's political enemies becomes the norm. Bragg is not Protesilaus, but Apollonius from The Life of Apollonius of Tyana. He is not sacrificing himself, but glorifying himself while directing the mob's lust for vengeance towards a sacrificial victim.
As Rene Girard tell us:
"To accomplish his ends, Apollonius has to distract the Ephesians from the deed he asks them to commit, so he tries to make them forget the physical reality of the stoning. With a ridiculous grandiloquence he denounces the beggar as an “enemy of the gods.” To make the violence possible, he must demonize the individual he has selected as victim. And finally the guru succeeds. He obtains what he desires: the first stone. Once it is thrown, Apollonius can take a nap or whatever, for now violence and deceit are bound to triumph. The same Ephesians who had pity on the beggar a moment earlier now demonstrate a violent emulation of one another that is so relentless, so contrary to their initial attitude, that our surprise can only equal our sadness. Not purely rhetorical, the first stone is decisive because it is the most difficult to throw. Why is it the most difficult to throw? Because it is the only one without a model.
When Jesus finally responds, the first stone is the last obstacle that prevents the stoning. In calling attention to it, in mentioning it expressly, Jesus does all he can to reinforce this obstacle and magnify it. The more those thinking about throwing the first stone perceive the responsibility they would assume in throwing it, the greater the chance that they will let their hands fall and drop the stone. Do we really need a mimetic model for an act as simple as throwing stones? Yes, when the target is a human being, most people do. The positive proof is the initial resistance of the Ephesians. It is certainly not in order to undermine the prestige of Apollonius that Philostratus tells us about his difficulties. These must be real.
Once the first stone is thrown, thanks to the encouragement of Apollonius, the second comes fairly fast, thanks to the example of the first; the third comes more quickly still because it has two models rather than one, and so on. As the models multiply, the rhythm of the stoning accelerates.
Saving the adulterous woman from being stoned, as Jesus does, means that he prevents the violent contagion from getting started. Another contagion in the reverse reverse direction is set off, however, a contagion of nonviolence. From the moment the first individual gives up stoning the adulterous woman, he becomes a model who is imitated more and more until finally all the group, guided by Jesus, abandons its plan to stone the woman."
- Girard, René. I See Satan Fall Like Lightning (p. 57).
Who will play the part of Jesus in our current political environment? Who will say to our corrupt ruling class, "Let whoever is without sin among you cast the first stone!”? Unfortunately, I see a lot more Apolloniuses among the current ruling class.
Rather than bravely sacrificing himself for the collective good like Protesilaus, Bragg is more akin to he who casts the first stone. He is not sacrificing himself for the greater good, but instead choosing a scapegoat from the completely corrupt political class upon whom to act out collective violence. His casting of the first stone will start a mimetic contagion of violence, in which criminal prosecution of one's political enemies becomes the norm. Bragg is not Protesilaus, but Apollonius from The Life of Apollonius of Tyana. He is not sacrificing himself, but glorifying himself while directing the mob's lust for vengeance towards a sacrificial victim.
As Rene Girard tell us:
"To accomplish his ends, Apollonius has to distract the Ephesians from the deed he asks them to commit, so he tries to make them forget the physical reality of the stoning. With a ridiculous grandiloquence he denounces the beggar as an “enemy of the gods.” To make the violence possible, he must demonize the individual he has selected as victim. And finally the guru succeeds. He obtains what he desires: the first stone. Once it is thrown, Apollonius can take a nap or whatever, for now violence and deceit are bound to triumph. The same Ephesians who had pity on the beggar a moment earlier now demonstrate a violent emulation of one another that is so relentless, so contrary to their initial attitude, that our surprise can only equal our sadness. Not purely rhetorical, the first stone is decisive because it is the most difficult to throw. Why is it the most difficult to throw? Because it is the only one without a model.
When Jesus finally responds, the first stone is the last obstacle that prevents the stoning. In calling attention to it, in mentioning it expressly, Jesus does all he can to reinforce this obstacle and magnify it. The more those thinking about throwing the first stone perceive the responsibility they would assume in throwing it, the greater the chance that they will let their hands fall and drop the stone. Do we really need a mimetic model for an act as simple as throwing stones? Yes, when the target is a human being, most people do. The positive proof is the initial resistance of the Ephesians. It is certainly not in order to undermine the prestige of Apollonius that Philostratus tells us about his difficulties. These must be real.
Once the first stone is thrown, thanks to the encouragement of Apollonius, the second comes fairly fast, thanks to the example of the first; the third comes more quickly still because it has two models rather than one, and so on. As the models multiply, the rhythm of the stoning accelerates.
Saving the adulterous woman from being stoned, as Jesus does, means that he prevents the violent contagion from getting started. Another contagion in the reverse reverse direction is set off, however, a contagion of nonviolence. From the moment the first individual gives up stoning the adulterous woman, he becomes a model who is imitated more and more until finally all the group, guided by Jesus, abandons its plan to stone the woman."
- Girard, René. I See Satan Fall Like Lightning (p. 57).
Who will play the part of Jesus in our current political environment? Who will say to our corrupt ruling class, "Let whoever is without sin among you cast the first stone!”? Unfortunately, I see a lot more Apolloniuses among the current ruling class.