I have been meaning to set down the story of the witch hunts for a while.
I have been fascinated with the idea that witch hunts are still happening.
Maybe not the burning and torturing and wailing- resulting in artistic depictions of fantastical rituals playing out with the Devil serving dinner....
But the parallel in metaphor-
The witch hunts that are emotionally targeted, where dominance of narrative is the main objective.
The “ending of life” not in the literal- but in the ending of careers and life-paths.
The character assassination that results in loss of humanity-
Removal of connection and destroyer of image.
So ..
I will begin at the beginning.
Modern Day Witch Hunts :Part 1
Witch Hunts have been one of my many fascinations for a significant period of time-
Not, “that they happened” - but why.
Why they happened; and what caused them to be.
What drove them.
The aspect of witch hunts that I found the most perplexing:
was that once named a witch-
The target rarely survived.
Most often, anything they did or said would only go to further verify the fact that they were one.
Even under torture.
In any event-
The most common outcome of witch hunts, was they would either die a witch, or die proving that they were not one.
Some even succumbing to the horrible treatments they received while captors attempted to extract an admission of some sort.
Yet,
The atmosphere that created witch hunting-
Was the idea that all of society issues, could be blamed on one:
up to a handful- of individual persons.
Bad weather, crop failures, illnesses, strange events and unexplainable things-
Could be laid at the feet of someone who was “to blame”.
Blaming seems to be almost a human need-
Accepting responsibility without blame-shifting is more an art form rather than a “given”.
In fact...historically...some form of witch hunting or another have been a part of civilization since the beginning of known documentation.
Which reminds me of the Garden of Eden-
“Why did you bite that apple?”
...well, it wasn’t me: it was Eve.
“Eve?”
...well it wasn’t me: The snake made me do it.
People like blaming people for things they don’t understand or don't want the responsibility of.
I was working in a retirement facility when it began to dawn on me that people are still witch hunting.
It looks a lot different now,
And outcomes have a tendency to be the “outcast” losing some sort of status or standing, even if “just” trust.
The torture is mental and emotional...
Yet the toll is still present with the entire framework of what a witch hunt is- intact.
I came to realize this, through participating in it myself at the time.
Large facilities operate on an almost impossible-to-imagine model.
2 Care Aids must work together under the direction and supervision of their duty nurse:
to provide care for 8 to 20 persons.
The expectation is that each person in care will receive their care needs in full.
It does not take much imagination to quickly realize that a feat such as this, is super human.
The ratio for adult to children is governed by law, due to the obvious neglect that a model such as this creates---simply by existing.
Yet elder care is not governed by the same laws.
The most caring and quick of caretakers struggle to balance the diverse needs of the people-
While those collecting a pay check numbly mechanic from one room to the next performing the bare minimum.
Sometimes those persons become one and the same:
As the sheer volume of overwhelming situations leads to burnout and compassion fatigue.
So when problems arose,
Issues such as neglect or abuse were noticed-
Often times, it would rip around the facility like wild fire.
Daily issues would become the fault of the named “abuser”- and gossip would compound one onto the other until the caretaker who was accused became a monster of unrealistic and massive proportions.
When I started-
Bright eyed and bushy tailed.
I had no idea what it actually took to care for that many people at one time.
I believed that it must be possible, since facilities I had seen and done placements in- all had variations of the same model.
In fact-
I chose that specific place to work, due to what I understood to be a “better” ratio of caretakers to persons in care, alongside my steadfast belief in their mission statement and company values.
So when I saw things that were shocking, I promptly reported them without a second thought-
It was our duty after all!
It was probably a year into that job, when I noticed how wrongdoings were pretty much the norm.
We were expected to “figure it out” on the fly.
Concerns of malfunctioning systems were “heard” and written on a piece of paper to be stuck at the bottom of a drawer...never to be seen again.
I also noticed that many caretakers-
GOOD caretakers.
Loving and concerned caretakers...
Engaged in questionable behaviour regularly.
They also cycled through various stages of burnout, receiving little to no support or attention.
Gossip by way of distraction was a frequent, consistent, daily aspect of life.
I also realized that whenever a “wrong” was noticed, other caretakers would jump on the band-wagon and state they had also witnessed this or that.
After recognizing this bizarre pattern, I began to wonder about the validity.
If ALL of these charges against a person were true....why were they only being stated now?
Now that someone else had spoken up about a thing recent.
And...why was nothing done about it “then”?
Or- if something WAS done then...why is it being rehashed now?
#MeToo.......
Gossip- I realized- specifically about a persons’ wrongdoings (or perceived wrongdoings) is an insidious form of witch hunting.
WHOA!!
It is often customary for me to go into a bit of a shame spiral whenever I discover my own participation in harming a person.
Character assassination is harming.
It seems that even when it was not intentional, I can't help but go through the walk of shame.
And in this case,
A healthy dose of guilt would hopefully help me avoid doing so again in the future.
“Reflection never happens before an action.”
It’s possible to learn from others’ mistakes-
But not possible to learn anything that you aren’t aware of.
Ergo,
You have to have awareness of what the “thing” is, before ever learning anything about it.
Action being the most effective way of learning reaction.
That’s when I realized that witch hunts happen all the time.
Someone is named and blamed-
Then the narrative begins,
Those for and those against.
Target Tortured:
Not in a cell while awaiting trial,
But rather out in the open on display:
In the form of gossip and triangulation.
Common enemy intimacy bonds are created, and camps of "for" and "against", are set up.
Accusations made and repeated, until the trial by peers begins.
Just like how a witch, once named-
Is guilty until proven innocent..
Our modern day witch hunts and trials play out on social media, in work places, schools, televisions, and homes.
Even if you don't have a side-
You know well that there ARE sides.
Everyone is to blame for something,
But the squeakiest wheel gets the attention.
The persons for blame or distraction.
The topics of spiritual, political and ethical ideology pour out of the churches and institutions, and into the palm of your hand.
Along with cancel culture,
The very dialogue required to have these tough conversations, and learn from these lessons;
Hushed into the abyss...
...or so it seems...
Maybe.
Since I'm fascinated, as much as horrified by this idea...
I will unravel and write about the modern day witch trials:
As I see it.