The dictionary says:
1580s, “discredit caused by irreligious conduct,” from Middle French scandale (12c.), from Late Latin scandalum “cause for offense, stumbling block, temptation,” from Greek skandalon “a trap or snare laid for an enemy,” in New Testament, metaphorically as “a stumbling block, offense”; originally “trap with a springing device,” from PIE *skand- “to leap, climb” (see scan (v.); cf. also slander (n.), which is another form of the same word).
This blog says:
Without a vigorous opposition and a free press, recent events in the Canadian Senate and the PMO would not have appeared to anybody – not even to the RCMP – scandalous.
Isn’t it a bit like saying ‘without thirst, there would be no water’?
and of course no one will remember any of this stuff by the time of the next election - when the Conservatives will once again benefit from the completely inexplicable tendency of people to find them ‘better’ mangers of the economy, despite their ineptitude, not to say disastrous incompetence, in that file since 2007.
Forget the word’s history. Among a long list of synonyms for “scandal”, my thesaurus includes: disrepute, ignominy, infamy, offence, shame. Take your pick. My favourite is SHAME. And, so far, I’ve not been wont to amnesia.