The Making of an Escape Goat

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THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT IN A BREAK ROOM IN MARION, INDIANA

An hourly paid third shift production operator sits in a pay phone inside a break room. The clock ticks and break ends, yet the operator stays on the phone, night after night, for days, often spending an additional twenty or thirty minutes talking to his girlfriend. His supervisor mentions this behavior to him once or twice, but there is no visible change in his behavior.

The supervisor prepares a written disciplinary notice and gives it to him with his union shop steward present. The employee requests time to speak with his steward about filing a grievance. The steward explains that there are no grounds under the contract for him to file the grievance, but that the employee has the contractual right to file a grievance on his own.

The next morning: a grievance appears in the mailbox of the unsuspecting Human Resources Department alleging that: "The 3rd shift supervisor has treated the employee with a total lack of respect, and no regard for the personal problems he is experiencing with his girlfriend. I demand that my supervisor stop asking me to hang up the phone and do my job, and stop making me the target of discrimination. Production is down on his shift and he is in trouble with his boss, and he is just trying to make me his escape goat!"

The grievance was denied, and later dropped by the union.

From Urban Dictionary,


1. Escape Goat

A slang used by idiots who do not realize the term is scapegoat Somehow, this slang is becoming popular and I'm hearing it more and more. Please, stop the ignorance.

"I felt like the escape goat!!"

"You mean scapegoat, you dimwit!"

by The Queen Of Chodes Jan 2, 2005

2. Escape Goat

First used by the ignorant for the word "scapegoat" but it is now commonplace to use it tounge-in-cheek, just as the word "Internets" is used referencing Dubya's plural addition to the singular item. Just because someone uses Escape Goat doesn't mean they believe it to be correct. Most of the time they are messing around.

"The dude is being used as an escape goat."

"That's scapegoat."

"Yeah, I know, but this is the Internets so stfu."

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