Fainting Goats and the Term ‘Scapegoat’

Watch some hilarious videos of fainting goats and read how they relate to the term scapegoat.

Fainting goats are hilarious. They have myotonia congenita, a hereditary genetic disorder, that causes their legs to stiffen when startled. Prepare to laugh.

The second video is worth it just for the guy.

The word scapegoat was created in the early 1500s by William Tyndale for his English translation of the Bible. The word comes from the Hebrew ritual, “Azazel”, which literally means “goat-escapes”. In addition to the ceremony involving the release of a goat into the wilderness, scapegoat came to represent an entity who took on unmerited blame. So, what does this have to do with myotonic goats?

No doubt, you’ve heard someone say, “you don’t have to be faster than the bear, only fast than the slowest person“. Well, it turns out that some farmers have taken this advice in regards to keeping their herds safe from predators. Fainting goats are their bait. If a wolf or coyote comes to attack a herd of valuable sheep or goats, the myotonic goats faint and provide an easy meal, while the rest of the herd gets away safely.

Fainting goats are literally scapegoats.

Source: The Scapegoat Dilemma

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About WCD

Creator and editor of Weird Cool Dumb.

One response to “Fainting Goats and the Term ‘Scapegoat’”

  1. flybye26 says :

    That guy is a goof ball. Is it weird that I want to cuddle him as much as the goats?

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