Mass Hysteria / Moral Panic

A month ago I wrote three uncreatively named posts. (Uncreative is a word if I say it is!).

In part 0 I discussed that there is such a thing as mass hysteria.  I wrote up a fun little time travel trip to the Salem Witch Hunts juxtaposed with Seattle in the middle of this spring’s “Russia Russia Russia” frenzy.

In Part 1 I tried to have a little empathy. Folks who are in turmoil are… in turmoil. It must suck.

Finally in part 2 I told my personal experience of the 1980’s when Americans, completely irrationally, thought satanic cults were running amok. (No shit, that’s a real thing that happened. I can look people in the eye and say “I remember when Americans thought satanic cults were a serious threat”. Beware that you may someday struggle to explain 2018 to a different generation. Good luck.)

Mass Hysteria: Part 0:

Locals: “We’re surrounded by racists. Protest their ass!”

Curmudgeon: “Anyone care to elaborate?”

Locals: “Trump. Trump is everywhere. He’s seriously screwing up our lives! Any minute now he’s going to herd us onto cattle cars and ship us somewhere terrible!”

Curmudgeon: (Looking around nervously.) “Somewhere terrible? A concentration camp?”

Locals: “Worse! Kansas!”

Mass Hysteria: Part 1

It’s OK to dislike the President but if you’re acting like he’s going to personally rape your cat you’ve lost perspective. People who will never be in the same room (and only rarely in the same state) as Trump act like he’s riffling through their garbage cans at night. The reaction is not justified by real world conditions.

Mass Hysteria: Part 2

I shared my skepticism to no avail. “You seriously think nimrods are forming covens to sacrifice goats and stuff? Have you seen them with your own eyes? Why am I not invited? Aren’t goats expensive? Where are they getting them? Is there a goat farm to ask about this?” My teachers were like “Shut up youthful Curmudgeon, you don’t know shit.”

That was a month ago. At least for now the “Russia Russia Russia” panic is forgotten. (How quickly old panics are replaced by new.)

Now everyone is going ape over the new panic. Congressional “advise and consent” of a Supreme Court nominee, which for the first 150 years of our nation, was as boring as watching paint dry is now political Thunderdome. Roughly half of the Citizenry and roughly the same portion of Congress is losing sleep over unsubstantiated accusations of something that happened 36 years ago.

I tired to write about Cycles. “This is Clarence Thomas / Anita Hill. We’ve seen this movie before. It’s gonna be OK.” I don’t think I got much traction.

This morning I stumbled across 5 Signs You’re In The Midst Of A Moral Panic. (Hat tip to Maggie’s Farm.) The author discusses; the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and right now. I’m not the only one that sees it.

I encourage everyone to read the article. He’s done a good job discussing things we now know know to be false but at one time were widely (and incorrectly) accepted. He uses my favorite example of the Stanic panic of the 1980’s and the classic Salem Witch Hunts, but he also mentions the Duke Lacrosse case and the Rolling Stone rape hoax. (All of the above examples were thoroughly examined and found to be false.)

The author comes up with a list of things to look for during a “moral panic”:

1. Due Process Goes Out The Window

We’re now told, quite firmly, that due process keeps sexual assault victims from coming forward. Having to tell their story multiple times, having to face their accuser, having to provide evidence of their claims, being questioned about inconsistencies or fallacies — all these things are now considered harmful, but only for those making sexual assault accusations. Accusers of other crimes are still seen as capable of surviving the legal system.

2. “Believe The Victim”

This may be the biggest tell of a moral panic. An accusation, we’re told, is sufficient enough. With due process being considered anathema to victims, accusations are all the evidence needed.

3. Misleading And Faulty Statistics

Another social panic, this one about child abductions and occurred around the same time as the Satanic Panic, used a grossly exaggerated figure to suggest children across the country were in danger of being kidnapped. The media and others claimed 50,000 children were abducted a year, when the actual number was around 600 (still frightening, but far from 50,000).

4. Evidence, Schmevidence

As due process goes out the window, so does the need for evidence. During these times of mass hysteria, things that would otherwise be considered evidence that a crime was not committed or that an accuser is lying in any other situation are dismissed as evidence of the crime itself.

5. Pseudo-Scientific Theories About Memory Reign Supreme

A large volume of studies — spanning decades — consistently show that our memories are not a reliable source of information, and can be corrupted and distorted incredibly easily. Witnesses to traumatic events — such as those who witness a shooting or other horrific crime — are often wrong about what they saw. Thousands are wrongfully convicted based on incorrect eyewitness identifications.