Black sheep vs scapegoat
 

Doing a little idetecting lately, Ive come across one Id like to inquire about.

As an adult, what with stories told and past shenanigans, how does one determine if they were the black sheep in the family - or could it be they were the scapegoat in the family?

Each is a very different genus, and important in the order of things.

A black sheep is more like a rebel that just doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the family.

A scapegoat is one upon whom the rest of the family hangs all of their problems. The scapegoat gets the blame for everything.

One can be a scapegoat without being a black sheep.

What Charlatan said.

Or, one can be a scapegoat and as such get the rep as a black sheep.
Aha!

Baaaa.

^^ Yes, yes.

A common denominator.

Yes, I have found that most black sheep get to also play the role of scapegoat, even if it is sometimes undeserved.

I am the black sheep of my family... in more than just the ironic sense because my white mom remarried a white guy. I am not the family scapegoat, though. Thank God. :)

I have had trouble reconcilling the rep of black sheep in my fam of origin with my memories of who I was, what I did, why I did it, and what I felt.

I think I might have been a goat all dressed up in sheep's clothing since I was a grade schooler.

I wonder what problem(s) were being hidden by scaping me.

Back to the scapegoat condition/tradition. Its origin is Judaic, with a goat being sent off into the wilderness with the sins of the sender. And, that is what being a scapegoat feels exactly like. One might even learn to walk away by themselves, before being sent.

The news is that there is a scapegoat society inthe UK. I dont know anything about it yet though, so this is no recommendation.