During the 20th century, references to the Salem witch trials were used extensively to refer to hunts for people accused of doing things that were possible. Na

During the 20th century, references to the Salem witch trials were used extensively to refer to hunts for people accused of doing things that were possible. Namely being a communist.^ Unlike witches, it actually is possible to be a communist, and it actually is plausible that there were communists in the Federal government. Comparing such communist hunts to witch hunts is not about comparing the nature of the accused crime, but rather about comparing the nature of the so called investigation. I have seen this explained numerous times on HN in discussions similar to this one. Several times I have explained it myself. I don't know if it is feigned ignorance and purposeful obtuseness/offense seeking, or if people are genuinely unfamiliar with the history of the term "witch hunt", but either way this is getting rather tiring. ^ The most prominent example of this is Arthur Miller's The Crucible.