Thank you for this gracious response. I recognize that the term's colloquial use is far broader than I implied. Frankly, I think it's a gross mischaracterizatio

Thank you for this gracious response. I recognize that the term's colloquial use is far broader than I implied. Frankly, I think it's a gross mischaracterization of events, and erases real history to use it that way. As for the "systemic" nature of historic witch-hunts, fruitful research efforts would uncover "Malleus Maleficarum", the textbook for engaging in witch-hunting. I believe the continent-wide application of a uniform methodology—especially when funded by the preeminent institutional authority—qualifies as systematic. Sections of "Witches, Midwives, and Nurses" by Dierdre English and Barbara Ehrenreich explain its historical use. Their research reveals with-hunts to have been a far cry from "murdering anybody you don't like."