Which term describes blaming a convenient group for personal or community problems?

• A. Ethnocentrism
• B. Scapegoating
• C. Culture
• D. Discrimination

Answer: (B)

Blaming a convenient group for personal or community problems is scapegoating. This occurs when people redirect frustration onto a target group that’s easy to blame, often a minority or outsider, rather than examining real causes like economic factors, policies, or systemic issues. Scapegoating helps the in-group feel empowered or relieved from responsibility and can rally support by creating a common enemy.

Ethnocentrism is about judging other cultures by the standards of one's own culture and viewing them as superior or inferior; it’s a bias about cultural differences, not the act of assigning blame for problems. Culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, and practices of a group, which is the broader context in which people live, not the act of blaming a group. Discrimination involves unfair or prejudicial treatment of people based on their group membership; it can accompany scapegoating but it’s specifically about how people are treated, not the specific process of blaming a group for issues.