--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a natural propensity to attribute…" description: "\"“It is a natural propensity to attribute misfortune to someone’s malignity. When prices rise, it is due to the profiteer; when wages fall, it is due to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/bertrand-russell-69_blame_it-is-a-natural-propensity-to-attribute_1350106.jpg" --- # It is a natural propensity to attribute misfortune to… ![“It is a natural propensity to attribute misfortune to someone’s malignity. When prices rise, it is due to the profiteer; when wages fall, it is due to the capitalist. Why the capitalist is ineffective when wages rise, and the profiteer when prices fall, the man in the street does not inquire. Nor…” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/bertrand-russell-69_blame_it-is-a-natural-propensity-to-attribute_1350106.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/bertrand-russell-69_blame_it-is-a-natural-propensity-to-attribute_1350106.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/bertrand-russell-69_blame_it-is-a-natural-propensity-to-attribute_1350106.jpg) > ““It is a natural propensity to attribute misfortune to someone’s malignity. When prices rise, it is due to the profiteer; when wages fall, it is due to the capitalist. Why the capitalist is ineffective when wages rise, and the profiteer when prices fall, the man in the street does not inquire. Nor does he notice that wages and prices rise and fall together. If he is a capitalist, he wants wages to fall and prices to rise; if he is a wage earner, he wants the opposite. When a currency expert tries to explain that profiteers and trade unions and ordinary employers have very little to do with the matter, he irritates everybody, like the man who threw doubt on German atrocities. (In World War I) We do not like to be robbed of an enemy; we want someone to have when we suffer. It is so depressing to think taht we suffer because we are fools; yet taking mankind in mass, that is the truth. For this reason, no political party can acquire any driving force except through hatred; it must hold someone to obloquy. If so-and-so’s wickedness is the sole cause of our misery, let us punish so-and-so and we shall be happy. The supreme example of this kind of political thought was the Treaty of Versailles. Yet most people are only seeking some new scapegoat to replace the Germans.”” [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to blame others for economic hardship, creating scapegoats instead of understanding systemic causes. **In simple terms:** Blaming others hides real reasons for suffering. Key Takeaway Recognize systemic factors, avoid scapegoating. Themes politics economics psychology war scapegoating Mood cynical critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - Political rallies - media commentary - economic policy debates - education curricula - public protests Key Concepts Scapegoat theory cognitive bias systemic analysis Questions to Reflect On - What systemic factors are ignored when we blame scapegoats? - How can societies resist the urge to find a single enemy? A Different Perspective Scapegoating can oversimplify complex issues and hinder solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Driving force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving-force/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Political party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-party/) [Rise and fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-and-fall/) [Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat/) [Trade union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade-union/) [Treaty Of Versailles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treaty-of-versailles/) [Versailles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/versailles/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) ## Related quotes > [Is America becoming decadent? Do we no longer regard our promises and pledges as sacred? ... 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When prices rise, it is due to the profiteer; when wages fall, it is due to the capitalist. Why the capitalist is ineffective when wages rise, and the profiteer when prices fall, the man in the street does not inquire. Nor does he notice that wages and prices rise and fall together. If he is a capitalist, he wants wages to fall and prices to rise; if he is a wage earner, he wants the opposite. When a currency expert tries to explain that profiteers and trade unions and ordinary employers have very little to do with the matter, he irritates everybody, like the man who threw doubt on German atrocities. (In World War I) We do not like to be robbed of an enemy; we want someone to have when we suffer. It is so depressing to think taht we suffer because we are fools; yet taking mankind in mass, that is the truth. For this reason, no political party can acquire any driving force except through hatred; it must hold someone to obloquy. If so-and-so’s wickedness is the sole cause of our misery, let us punish so-and-so and we shall be happy. The supreme example of this kind of political thought was the Treaty of Versailles. 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