The eternal scapegoat

Over the past few years, I have been wondering what the new scapegoat would be.

In recent times (several hundred years), the scapegoats have been non-whites, women, non-Christians and now non-heterosexuals.

Non-whites have seen some reduction in the amount they have been used as scapegoats. Black people freed from slavery (although still not seen as blameless even when innocent, it seems). Hispanic people still face quite a large scapegoating stigma, but even that has lessened of late.

Women received voting rights, and have reached some strange semi-equality with men... but it's still not quite right. Women get worse financial opportunities than men in most cases.

Non-Christians have been victims of persecution (much in the same way Protestant Christians were persecuted during the founding years of the British colonies). More and more people are starting to stand up for people of other faiths (but it's still not fair).

Non-heterosexuals have been looked down upon as second class citizens, but this is changing ever so slightly.

My question was "if these are the scapegoats now, what will be the scapegoats next?"

I asked this question, and immediately, I felt that the answer would be non-cisgendered people. It would only make sense that they would be the next big target of scapegoating. Ok, so if that's obvious, who is the scapegoat to come next?

I've seen a disturbing trend of late... a trend of regression. Women are starting to receive worse treatment, and their bodies are being looked upon by lawmakers with disdain. It seems to me that women are quickly becoming the next scapegoat. I asked myself "why?", but I couldn't come up with much of a good reason. Seems that there isn't a reason for women to face scapegoating more than once.

Then it hit me. We are all eternal scapegoats. Those who are looked down upon once may rise up in status for a time, but ultimately, they are doomed to be once again persecuted.

Women are being targeted again. Why? Because, simply put, they are an easy target. They're an easy target not because they're lesser than men, but because they haven't reached full equality, and if a large number of people in the population face persecution, and are made powerless, it leaves those in power even more powerful. Women are born more often than men (statistically, 2% more often), and though I don't know the exact number of women and men that are not cisgendered when born, I would assume the number is relatively equal on both sides. So, targeting women to make them feel powerless would benefit the men. Less competition, as if women are a threat. Well, I suppose from a certain view, they are. A threat to a patriarchy, most definitely.

So, if women are facing renewed persecution, who's next?
I'm not sure, but I'm not exactly excited to find out.
My opinion is that we should stop trying to scapegoat people based upon class, or gender, or race, or sexual orientation, or even sexual identity!
Shouldn't our scapegoat be on poverty, hunger, disease, unethical treatement of children or elderly people, and unnecessary death?

It's disgusting and sad that instead of facing these issues, the politicians (at least in America) would rather point blame at groups to marginalize and demonize them.

Why should women be denied the say over their own uterus or babies be forced to be circumcised? Why should couples be refused the right to get married, or other people refused the chance to live in a body that reflects how they feel inside?

The scapegoating is ridiculous, and it's time for it to stop.