The word meme comes from the same insight René Girard uncovered: we don’t invent our desires—we copy them. Girard called this mimetic desire, and it explains why trends, fads, and internet memes spread like wildfire. But imitation also sparks rivalry, envy, and social conflict. To restore peace, societies have long turned to the scapegoat mechanism: uniting against a common victim. In this episode, we reveal how Girard’s theory explains the rise of memes, consumer culture, workplace rivalries, and even today’s culture wars—and how understanding it can free us from blind imitation.