Embedded Files
Sad Scapegoating
Sad Scapegoating
In the film, there isn't any explicit scenes where Sadness is portrayed as a scapegoat, at least in the traditional sense. However, there are moments where Sadness is marginalized or misunderstood by the other emotions, particularly Joy. Sadness often faces dismissal or resistance from the other characters, and her actions are initially perceived as problematic or disruptive. Essentially, Sadness initially serves as a scapegoat for Riley's troubles until her true significance is understood.
Early in the film, Sadness touches one of Riley's happy core memories, causing it to turn sad. Joy reacts with alarm, attempting to prevent Sadness from affecting more memories. This scene sets the tone for Joy's initial perception of Sadness as a problem to be solved or avoided rather than an integral part of Riley's emotional experience. Joy even goes so far as to try to change Sadness and how she, as an emotion, should function in Riley's mind. This was disguised in the scene as Joy reminding Sadness of Riley's happy core memories and how it brought Riley so much happiness, in an attempt to change Sadness' perspective, (the literal opposite of Joy and epitome of sadness).
Isolation and Exclusion
Isolation and Exclusion
Another example of the implicit scapegoating seen in the film is Joy attempting to exclude Sadness to prevent her from 'ruining' Riley's experience during her first day of school. Here, Riley puts Sadness in a circle and calls it the 'Circle of Sadness.' Sadness often finds herself excluded from important decision-making and brushed off to the sidelines by the other emotions.
While Sadness is not explicitly labeled as a scapegoat in scenes like these, her marginalization and mistreatment by the other characters reflect a broader tendency to assign blame or responsibility to her for Riley's emotional struggles. This can be seen to symbolize the disturbances and perplextity of the range of human emotions that present themselves as we grow up. We find scapegoats within ourselves to fall back on when embracing and accepting the idea of true emotional and well being becomes too challenging as a prepubescent child. Sadness is a natura; and necessary part of the human experience. It allows individuals to grieve losses, empathize with others, and ultimately grow and mature emotionally. However, in the climax of the scene, Joy eventually understands why Sadness is an integral part of Riley's emotions and lets her take control of the console. This could be seen in the YouTube video provided in the Catharsis page.
Click here to explore Internal Conflict.
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