5 SIGNS You’re In The Midst Of A Moral Panic
Moral panics, or instances of mass hysteria, have occurred throughout history. Two of the most notorious are the Salem Witch Trials and the Satanic Panic. The panics almost exclusively involve women and children and fears for their safety, especially from sexual abuse. We are in the midst of another such panic. The current panic has been playing out in the military and on college campuses for nearly a decade, but with the advent of the #MeToo movement, the mass hysteria is creeping into our regular legal system as well. The following are five of the biggest signs that we are experiencing another bout of mass hysteria, this time over sexual assault and harassment.
1. Due Process Goes Out The Window Due process is the cornerstone of our legal system, but in times of mass hysteria, it becomes the enemy.
2. “Believe The Victim” This may be the biggest tell of a moral panic.
3. Misleading And Faulty Statistics In today’s sex assault panic, we see multiple inflated statistics allegedly confirming an epidemic.
4. Evidence, Schmevidence In today’s sexual assault panic, the dismissal of exculpatory evidence runs rampant. On college campuses, accusers who continue to socialize with men they later accuse of sexual assault and who sent flirtacious and friendly text messages are said to be showing signs of trauma.
5. Pseudo-Scientific Theories About Memory Reign Supreme The science of memories always pops up during moral panics. On college campuses, therapists, friends, and school administrators help corrupt accuser’s memories (which are often foggy due to alcohol) by telling them that a drunken hook-up was actually sexual assault. Once the idea is implanted, an accuser fills in the gaps in their memory with the idea that they must have been sexually assaulted, and interpret consensual acts in that way.
dailywire.com By Ashe Schow
