“You got sick? Your aunty must have given you nazar (evil eye).”
“It must be bad luck.”
“Murphy's Law!”

Most of us have at least once said one of these phrases. The concept of someone else being ultimately responsible for our problems is engraved in our minds. But why? Is it fear of looking within, or the result of an ancestor who once saw an external darkness and decided it must be passed down? Or maybe it is because we are brainwashed to think that way so that we don't feel responsible for our misfortune. Today, we are going to dive into this way of thinking that everyone seems unconsciously attached to. Even though I am no philosopher or scholar, I will try to break down this belief, scientifically, in the most neutral way possible so that no side seems disrespected by it.

If you were wondering whether this concept of externalism came from the Middle East or from Asia, you are, in fact, wrong. Not every superstition comes from there. And this topic is not just superstition; it is psychological and is ingrained in each one of our minds. Which is why we are going to examine how this belief manifested among the English people, in some of the great plagues known in history.

You might know about the Hansel and Gretel story, where two kids were abandoned by their father and then find a candy house where a witch locks them up, but the kids escape. This story is no ordinary children's tale. It's a real-time German folklore. The story lays its base with what was the condition at the time of the Great Famine of (1315–1317).

The Great Famine struck Europe after years of destructive rainfall, crop failures, and livestock disease, leading to mass starvation and death. The condition was such that individuals ate their own family members to stay alive — a powerful element of the Hansel and Gretel story, where the witch is hellbent on eating the children. Cannibalism was documented frequently during this time, and abandoning your children for a more peaceful death than starvation was even more so.

In Germany alone and other neighboring parts, the estimated death toll reached up to 15%, which is about 1.2–2.25 million deaths. Whereas in some densely populated places of Europe, the death toll went up to 25%. These are just some of the recorded figures. Who knows what the real numbers are and the pain they went through that led to widespread cannibalism of their own sons and daughters.

(Jordan, W. C. (1996). The Great Famine: Northern Europe in the Early Fourteenth Century. Princeton University Press.)
(Wikipedia – Great Famine of 1315–1317)

But the real question is, how did these people cope with the pain and shock of this tragedy? Because this was an earlier time, people blamed the sinners and the arrogant elites of the community. They believed that it was a punishment from God for them. And some even believed that it was a test from God: one of patience and virtue. The merchants were criticized for price gouging — raising prices of grain and other foods while people starved. Corrupt rulers, greedy elites, and sexual sinners were seen with disgust. As it should have been, because all in all, in the end, “they were the reason” for moral decay and this punishment bestowed upon everyone.

None realized that it was merely a lost harvest. Or rapid increase in population just before the famine hit. Or even what Jordan described in his book The Great Famine: “a ‘cattle murrain’ that decimated livestock in 1316, likely rinderpest or anthrax, based on modern veterinary interpretation” (pp. 113–115).

But they could never see this, understand this. Even if it were you and me, we could not have. Because logic subsides emotions. Because logic is useless when all you want is the pain to go away. So you say that it is because of a “certain factor,” so that you can ultimately move on.

The next great famine hit from 1347–1351, known as the Black Death. Scientifically, this period of misery fell because of the bubonic plague — a bacteria known as Yersinia pestis, which was spread by fleas and rats. It infected people with symptoms like fever, vomiting, chills, and swollen lymph nodes (buboes), which were lumps under the skin that led to a person's death in 3–5 days. The death toll varied from 25–60% across regions and may have even reached up to 80%.

(Wikipedia – Black Death)
(Benedictow, O. J. (2021). The Black Death: The Complete History. Boydell & Brewer.)

However, the people, madly searching for an explanation to what had just occurred, looked for a scapegoat to restore a sense of control. Thus terrified, they pointed their finger at Jews. Because they were already an isolated community, socially and religiously, they were easier to blame and target. Accusations made against them included: poisoning of wells, practicing witchcraft, and being punished by God for their sins.

In this way, thousands of Jews were killed in a series of massacres, especially in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Entire Jewish communities were burned alive and expelled by mobs. In fact, over 200 Jewish communities were destroyed during the Black Death. Some communities committed mass suicide, like in Worms and Speyer, to avoid forced torture because they knew what awaited them.

But why? Even after the government tried to put an end to this violence, did it continue? Why, even after Pope Clement VI issued a papal bull in 1348 condemning the violence, saying the plague had natural causes, not Jewish conspiracy, did the mobs ignore it?

Simply because these people were trying to restore justice. Indeed, you need to see from the eyes of others to know that they did nothing wrong. Blaming the Jews wasn't just political or religious; it was deeply physiological and emotional. People were terrified, grieving, and desperate to make sense of it. This feeling of uncertainty triggered them to look for a common enemy — the same way we do in our daily lives. Only then, it led to mass massacre, and it leads to resentment and disgust for us today. Desperation made them see Jews as unclean and evil, making it easier to kill without guilt, bringing emotional relief.

If I am killing a nasty bug that secretes its byproducts everywhere, I am doing a favour to everyone. This was their way of thinking back then — and it remains ours today.

Historian Anna Foa (1992) writes:
“In a time of mass death, people sought to reaffirm moral order by identifying someone to blame — someone outside the moral community.”

These are just two examples. You might have seen the witch-hunting memes on Instagram. But it was true once. People, especially women, were charged with witch magic and executed. Not tried. No proof found. Just a finger flicked at them and they knew they didn't have much time left. But were there any actual witches? Did the Ice Age begin because there was a spell cast to doom everyone? Or was it entirely because people needed to restore the control they seek so uncontrollably?

At this point, I think I need not go much further. The same went for “Negroes,” Black people who were blamed as inferior, sinful beings from 1300–1800 to justify slavery, in order to justify the 19th-century epidemic, and then to justify the increase in crime rate in the 20th century. Or when gay men were blamed for the spread of AIDS. Or when China was blamed for spreading COVID-19. Yes, they might have contributed to it. But that doesn't mean they were the ultimate doer for it.

We contribute to global warming every day by sleeping under ACs or by using our refrigerators, but do we ever blame ourselves for ultimately being the reason for it? No. When it comes to connecting two and two we say, “People need to stop littering,” or “People need to start living like the old times.”

Never I or Me or You.

Henry Louis Gates Jr spoke on the Tavis Smiley show, March 19, 2008:
“I think that the roots of racism have always been economic, and I think people are desperate and scared. And when you're desperate and scared you scapegoat people. It exacerbates latent tendencies toward—for example—racism or homophobia or anti-Semitism.”

In the end, it is safe to say that this so-called “logic” we seem to make for ourselves is in fact not true. There are hundreds of sides to one incident and we look at it from the lens that fits us the best. That fits our values the best. That the opinion we so love and fight for can be built on a fake base. “Ignorance is bliss.” How true the saying is.

Ignorance is not just the inability to know something, but the inability to see the different lenses which ultimately make life. The reality of life is much crueler than we seek. The harsh truth is the millions murdered simply to restore control — control over one's self and control over an area. And most importantly, control of power. Little do we know power cannot be leashed; it can only be twisted.