Oh irrational collectivist fears, why do you plague us?
Americans love to be fueled by our anxieties and there really is no better way to get us completely effin’ freaked out than a gold old story of satanic ritual.
One story in particular is thought to have catalyzed Satanic Panic. It's the story of a woman who, through recovered memory therapy, recalled childhood abuse and trauma at the hands of satanists. The book? “Michelle Remembers” - written by her then psychologist turned husband.
Are you detecting a few red flags here?
Satanic Panic grew into a craze that most wouldn’t have predicted. It’s safe to say that it’s still alive and well today.
Tabloid television, think shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986-2011), Entertainment Tonight (1981-present), Unsolved Mysteries (1987-2002) and Inside Edition (1989-present), and America’s Most Wanted (1988-2012) and Cops (1989-present) have been to blame for continuing widespread, unfounded and irrational fear.
So who’s ultimately to blame for mass media scares like Satanic Panic? Are they inevitable? Do we as individuals bear a responsibility for these collectivist fears?
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