Ignorance is bliss

Ignorance is bliss
By Justin Salter
What the scapegoat knows. Why is this metaphor significant in helping to understand the role of the whistleblower in our society? Why is this “knowledge like a mortal illness” for the whistleblower (5)? What other whistleblower characteristics does Alford delineate? Make sure that you outline the different related points for yourself.
The metaphor of the scapegoat is significant in helping to understand the role of the whistleblower in our society because the whistleblower knows about all of the wrongdoings of the organization. “They do not just know the sins of the tribe. They are afflicted with them.” (pg 5) Unlike the scapegoat however, whistleblowers can act on the knowledge presented to them which is both a blessing and a curse.
Knowledge is like a mortal illness because it can affect you negatively in many ways. Knowing something and not doing anything can morally tare a person apart. By not acting on knowledge of something wrong, it is almost as if that person has become part of the problem. Knowing something and acting on it can have many consequences. “To run up against the organization is to risk obliteration.” (pg4) A person can risk losing their job, home, family, friends, and even can become an outcast in the eyes of everyone around them. This really gives meaning to the expression that ignorance is bliss.
I feel that all this is very true and very sad. If I had the knowledge of something that was morally wrong, I would realize that it would be morally right to do something. After that point though the problem for me would occur. I can honestly say that I don’t know if I would be willing to risk the consequences. I have worked so hard to be where I am today, and I don’t think I would be willing to throw that all away for a moral issue. I know it would be to help the greater good, but it would definitely depend on how important the issue at hand was to me.