Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism • Hacker News Board

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#71

Post by riffraff » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 8:43 AM UTC

kstenerud wrote: post #39

ogurechny wrote: post #20

There's a stereotype that witch hunts were “mass hysteria” (as Wikipedia calls them) affecting stupid backwards people (another common stereotype) or stupid believers (a stereotype with a militant atheism flavour). In these cases, we would see more witch hunts the earlier the age is or the stronger the church is. People weren't much more stupid than people today are. Moreover, it's a fairly recent era, I'd even say t…

The modern word is "moral panic", and it's used just as effectively to destroy rivals as it was in times of old. The only difference is that we don't kill the losers anymore, but rather imprison, harass, fire, and bankrupt them. Anytime there's a moral shift (good or bad), there's an opportunity to co-opt it in order to remove rivals, and it works very nicely because all you need to do is sow seeds of doubt about som…

Utah? I am not a US person, how is a whole state a moral panic?

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#72

Post by sudosysgen » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 8:57 AM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #53

vmception wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For example, the family that was able to exploit the socioeconomic order to pick up those land plots from people indicted for witchcraft probably still owns those land plots, but new people will not be able to use the same tactic to obtain land now.

This is more or less how the Israeli "settlements" work; land is taken for "security" reasons and given to someone else. The Russian privatization post Communism also handed a large amount of state resources to the well connected, who are now in many ways more entrenched than they were under Communism.

Much more. Even under the CPSU public opinion could change and you could be ousted. If you're an oligarch unless you die what you control, you control.

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#73

Post by throwaway_pdp09 » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:00 AM UTC

riffraff wrote: post #69

throwaway_pdp09 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can and did. I think china are getting it in the neck not so much for its origins but the way they mishandled it early on.

China is criticized for its handling of the epidemic, but the "it was made in a lab in China" conspiracy theories are very very common.

Those views are idiotic, but also irrelevant to my post.

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#74

Post by sudosysgen » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:05 AM UTC

throwaway_pdp09 wrote: post #56

Mirioron wrote: post #32

Or in 2020: "China created the virus and must be held responsible!" Except that viruses jump from other animals to humans all the time. It can happen in any country.

Can and did. I think china are getting it in the neck not so much for its origins but the way they mishandled it early on.

Which is not an evidence based criticism nor reasonable. The virus was already in Europe by December, maybe even November.

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#75

Post by Jorge1o1 » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:08 AM UTC

Grg

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#76

Post by throwaway_pdp09 » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:10 AM UTC

sudosysgen wrote: post #74

throwaway_pdp09 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can and did. I think china are getting it in the neck not so much for its origins but the way they mishandled it early on.

Which is not an evidence based criticism nor reasonable. The virus was already in Europe by December, maybe even November.

It is evidence based, given the suppression of known information by china, and therefore reasonable.

China screwing up was really not a big point here but in trying to cover for them you're just going to provoke people into posting more about china's screwup and attract more attention to it, sort of streisand effect.

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#77

Post by smabie » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:21 AM UTC

riffraff wrote: post #71

kstenerud wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The modern word is "moral panic", and it's used just as effectively to destroy rivals as it was in times of old. The only difference is that we don't kill the losers anymore, but rather imprison, harass, fire, and bankrupt them. Anytime there's a moral shift (good or bad), there's an opportunity to co-opt it in order to remove rivals, and it works very nicely because all you need to do is sow seeds of doubt about som…

Utah? I am not a US person, how is a whole state a moral panic?

It's where all the Mormons live.

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#78

Post by kstenerud » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:47 AM UTC

riffraff wrote: post #71

kstenerud wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The modern word is "moral panic", and it's used just as effectively to destroy rivals as it was in times of old. The only difference is that we don't kill the losers anymore, but rather imprison, harass, fire, and bankrupt them. Anytime there's a moral shift (good or bad), there's an opportunity to co-opt it in order to remove rivals, and it works very nicely because all you need to do is sow seeds of doubt about som…

Utah? I am not a US person, how is a whole state a moral panic?

Sorry, I meant Utah during the mid 1800s, with incidents such as the mountain meadows massacre. The list is in chronological order.

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#79

Post by thundergolfer » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:51 AM UTC

kstenerud wrote: post #62

Kinrany wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which of the first 12 did not have a noble goal?

Only prohibition, the war on drugs, #metoo, and BLM had noble goals. The rest were "the enemy is among us" fear based. I suspect that the fallout from virtue signaling and bad actors taking advantage of #metoo and BLM probably won't be too bad; certainly not on the same level as the rest.

The war on drugs certainly did not have noble goals. It’s a matter of public record that the government used the drug war to target “free love” political radicals, and far worse happened than that.

Re: Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism

#80

Post by zentropia » Sat, Jul 04, 2020, 9:59 AM UTC

eirini1 wrote: post #40

vmception wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For example, the family that was able to exploit the socioeconomic order to pick up those land plots from people indicted for witchcraft probably still owns those land plots, but new people will not be able to use the same tactic to obtain land now.

maybe not witchcraft accusations per se, but im quite unsure how you can be aware of events occuring in the world right now and think that exploiting the current socioeconomic order to gain land and wealth is not done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_of_Mashal_Khan

A student accuses the University staff of corruption and end killed by a mob for blasphemy.