Five patients made 8,303 emergency calls in a year - BBC News Website

[Alvin]

I feel like there is a nasty campaign of scapegoating and outright making up "needy" people to justify as you say service cuts. The whole trend right now is about pretending another's misfortune is simply evidence of their inadequacy as a person, and that success, health etc is the natural outcome of being somehow superior and separate from the hoi polloi.

Basically, this is the MO for the political right in most countries

 

[Samuel]

I feel like there is a nasty campaign of scapegoating and outright making up "needy" people to justify as you say service cuts. The whole trend right now is about pretending another's misfortune is simply evidence of their inadequacy as a person, and that success, health etc is the natural outcome of being somehow superior and separate from the hoi polloi.

fundamental attribution error, perhaps?

http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/fundamental_attribution_error.htm

btw the site has some potentially useful stuff.

===

[more specifically, i wonder if what you are referring to could be outlined roughly like this:]

1) exploitation of fundamental attribution error can be used to inflame
2) moral panics and scapegoating, which produce
3) public non-vigilance and zeal concerning
4) special pleading
- which is like "those strict rules and norms we claim to
hold dear and are obligated to obey don't apply to YOU
LOT", and leads to
6) public acceptance of desired
7) policy, for desired
8) outcome.