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There's a stereotype that witch hunts were “mass hysteria” (as Wikipedia calls them) affecting stupid backwards people (another common stereotype) or stupid bel

There's a stereotype that witch hunts were “mass hysteria” (as Wikipedia calls them) affecting stupid backwards people (another common stereotype) or stupid believers (a stereotype with a militant atheism flavour). In these cases, we would see more witch hunts the earlier the age is or the stronger the church is. People weren't much more stupid than people today are. Moreover, it's a fairly recent era, I'd even say that the amount of significant differences between city dweller of that time and traditional peasant of that time might be bigger that between city dweller of that time and city dweller of today. Witch hunts were guided by individuals feeling the opportunity, and, like in more recent purges, bureaucratic and societal structures were abused for some ends. Similarly, there was little resistance to the runaway machine because of the lack of alternative structures and ideas. In a way, they are early examples of dystopian stories realized. Believing that nowadays we live in a different time and witch hunts are impossible is an extreme shortsightedness.

Taek 6y ago
I mean we only need to look back as far as the red scare to find a modern example of witch-hunting being used for political gain.
- bryanrasmussen 6y ago
  Or the 80's and the U.S Satanism scare to find actual witch-hunting.
- ogurechny 6y ago
  Do you mean the ongoing or the previous one?
- klyrs 6y ago
  Communism and socialism are still curse words among the right to this very day. The authoritarian left is a boogeyman; the libertarian left want nothing to do with that shit either but good luck convincing somebody that you're not a tankie.
Mirioron 6y ago
I think the "stupid backwards people" refers to the people that went along with it. There might be people guiding others, but if nobody believed that witches exist then this wouldn't work. It's more a case of blind belief in authority figures. For this same reason witch-hunts can easily happen today. The conservative kid that was smeared as a racist while standing around smiling, despite there being no proof, is an example of very similar behavior by people.
- catalogia 6y ago
  > but if nobody believed that witches exist then this wouldn't work. I don't think that's right, you have to consider the possibility of widespread preference falsification. Namely people who do not believe in witches but do believe all their neighbors believe in witches.
PeterStuer 6y ago
And many of the ordinary people didn't go along because they were stupid. They knew full wel that not going along upped the risk of being accused of being a witch significantly.
KKKKkkkk1 6y ago
Why can't witch hunts be mass hysteria affecting stupid backwards people and be instigated by manipulative elites at the same time? Even mask wearing during a pandemic can be turned into a culture war.
- ogurechny 6y ago
  That would boil everything down to pure power and fear of that power, which is an explanation a bit too simple. In countless other villages across the globe, an attempt of some official to try someone for being a witch would result in a good beating of that idiot (even if villagers did believe in witches in general). No, they went along that what was existing to be went along. People do generally stop on red light even if there is no policeman around, everyone expects a shop to sell goods instead of having a swimming pool and a giraffe inside (there is no one to force that), and witch trials were trials, not mere accusations.
kstenerud 6y ago
The modern word is "moral panic", and it's used just as effectively to destroy rivals as it was in times of old. The only difference is that we don't kill the losers anymore, but rather imprison, harass, fire, and bankrupt them. Anytime there's a moral shift (good or bad), there's an opportunity to co-opt it in order to remove rivals, and it works very nicely because all you need to do is sow seeds of doubt about someone if they happen to be in a vulnerable group, and then let the mob do the rest: - Witch trials - Reign of Terror - Utah - Lynch Mobs - Prohibition - Kristallnacht - Wartime relocations - The red scare - The Dungeons & Dragons scare - The war on drugs - The war on terror - The pedophile scare - #metoo - BLM It's unfortunate about the last two because a lot of good came of them, but one must not let a moral shift go to waste.
- runawaybottle 6y ago
  A more understated one was the lead up to the Iraq war where people were labeled “unpatriotic” for opposing the war (or scared of being labeled unpatriotic). For example, Dixie Chicks were blacklisted for being outspoken against the war. This would almost qualify as a “soft” witch hunt, but essentially the same strategy, a Scarlett letter of sorts. The list is exhaustive (as you enumerated), and quite the recurring pattern. Unfortunately, at scale, it’s a super effective strategy with consequences only being realized way after the fact, by which point there is another wave already forming in another direction.
- pjc50 6y ago
  You were going so well until the last two, where you've ignored the very real problems that gave rise to them. There are very few examples of overreach compared to "underreach" there?
  - runawaybottle 6y ago
    I don’t think he/she is wrong in saying they all employ the same strategy, where the last two being the only ones with a noble goal. It’s a powerful weapon, and can be dangerous if not used carefully.
netcan 6y ago
Assuming, as a starting point, that religious people believe what they say they believe is reasonable, and respectful. The blending of what you belive and beliefs that benefit you is always relevant. It doesn't mean that no one believes. There's a reason why we use the term "witch hunt" idiomatically. The way they happen almost always involves a belief system at a nexus with interests.
amelius 6y ago
> Believing that nowadays we live in a different time and witch hunts are impossible is an extreme shortsightedness. The main difference between now and then is the way information spreads.

Taek 6y ago

I mean we only need to look back as far as the red scare to find a modern example of witch-hunting being used for political gain.

bryanrasmussen 6y ago
Or the 80's and the U.S Satanism scare to find actual witch-hunting.
ogurechny 6y ago
Do you mean the ongoing or the previous one?
klyrs 6y ago
Communism and socialism are still curse words among the right to this very day. The authoritarian left is a boogeyman; the libertarian left want nothing to do with that shit either but good luck convincing somebody that you're not a tankie.

Mirioron 6y ago

I think the "stupid backwards people" refers to the people that went along with it. There might be people guiding others, but if nobody believed that witches exist then this wouldn't work. It's more a case of blind belief in authority figures. For this same reason witch-hunts can easily happen today. The conservative kid that was smeared as a racist while standing around smiling, despite there being no proof, is an example of very similar behavior by people.

catalogia 6y ago
> but if nobody believed that witches exist then this wouldn't work. I don't think that's right, you have to consider the possibility of widespread preference falsification. Namely people who do not believe in witches but do believe all their neighbors believe in witches.

PeterStuer 6y ago

And many of the ordinary people didn't go along because they were stupid. They knew full wel that not going along upped the risk of being accused of being a witch significantly.

KKKKkkkk1 6y ago

Why can't witch hunts be mass hysteria affecting stupid backwards people and be instigated by manipulative elites at the same time? Even mask wearing during a pandemic can be turned into a culture war.

ogurechny 6y ago
That would boil everything down to pure power and fear of that power, which is an explanation a bit too simple. In countless other villages across the globe, an attempt of some official to try someone for being a witch would result in a good beating of that idiot (even if villagers did believe in witches in general). No, they went along that what was existing to be went along. People do generally stop on red light even if there is no policeman around, everyone expects a shop to sell goods instead of having a swimming pool and a giraffe inside (there is no one to force that), and witch trials were trials, not mere accusations.

kstenerud 6y ago

The modern word is "moral panic", and it's used just as effectively to destroy rivals as it was in times of old. The only difference is that we don't kill the losers anymore, but rather imprison, harass, fire, and bankrupt them. Anytime there's a moral shift (good or bad), there's an opportunity to co-opt it in order to remove rivals, and it works very nicely because all you need to do is sow seeds of doubt about someone if they happen to be in a vulnerable group, and then let the mob do the rest: - Witch trials - Reign of Terror - Utah - Lynch Mobs - Prohibition - Kristallnacht - Wartime relocations - The red scare - The Dungeons & Dragons scare - The war on drugs - The war on terror - The pedophile scare - #metoo - BLM It's unfortunate about the last two because a lot of good came of them, but one must not let a moral shift go to waste.

runawaybottle 6y ago
A more understated one was the lead up to the Iraq war where people were labeled “unpatriotic” for opposing the war (or scared of being labeled unpatriotic). For example, Dixie Chicks were blacklisted for being outspoken against the war. This would almost qualify as a “soft” witch hunt, but essentially the same strategy, a Scarlett letter of sorts. The list is exhaustive (as you enumerated), and quite the recurring pattern. Unfortunately, at scale, it’s a super effective strategy with consequences only being realized way after the fact, by which point there is another wave already forming in another direction.
pjc50 6y ago
You were going so well until the last two, where you've ignored the very real problems that gave rise to them. There are very few examples of overreach compared to "underreach" there?
- runawaybottle 6y ago
  I don’t think he/she is wrong in saying they all employ the same strategy, where the last two being the only ones with a noble goal. It’s a powerful weapon, and can be dangerous if not used carefully.

netcan 6y ago

Assuming, as a starting point, that religious people believe what they say they believe is reasonable, and respectful. The blending of what you belive and beliefs that benefit you is always relevant. It doesn't mean that no one believes. There's a reason why we use the term "witch hunt" idiomatically. The way they happen almost always involves a belief system at a nexus with interests.

amelius 6y ago

> Believing that nowadays we live in a different time and witch hunts are impossible is an extreme shortsightedness. The main difference between now and then is the way information spreads.