Salem Witch Trials 2.0 : Daycare Edition

In the 1980s, the daycare sex abuse hysteria, a phenomenon involving false accusations, child witnesses, and hysteria, erupted in America. Lasting more than a decade, the hysteria fueled extreme claims of satanic ritual abuse. A prominent case that began in Kern County, California, started the mass hysteria and caused a decade of "witch-hunts" against preschool teachers. The McMartin Preschool Case, the most expensive and longest criminal trial in American history, is one of the most famous daycare abuse cases. As history repeats itself in modern society, parallels are drawn between the events of the infamous Salem witch trials and the Daycare Abuse Hysteria.

1) Snowball Effect: At first, accusations made against daycare teachers seemed to be just like any other child abuse case. However, as more people were charged with accusations, hysteria spread and propelled the public into insane claims of satanic abuse, such a rituals, abuse by men in black cloaks and secret tunnels.

Similarly, accusations in the Salem witch trials jumped from one citizen to the next. Abigail first starts slow, accusing only one or two people, but as the hysteria and fear grows, the girls began to accuse a chain of people in an attempt to protect their reputations.

2) Children Rule: Children often gave testimonies on their experience with daycare abuse. Many urged others to believe the "pure and innocent children", often twisting the testimonies into an extreme claim of abuse. For example, interviewers who questioned the children about abuse experiences often included in their questions suggestive material, thereby inviting children to fabricate hazy truths such as being abused by clowns and robots in a secret room in the daycare center. In addition, interviewers would criticize the children if their abuse stories failed to meet the insane expectations.

Judge Danforth believed that because witchcraft was associated with no concrete evidence, the obvious pieces of evidence would be the witch and the victims. As a result, he convinces himself that the children must be correct because they are obviously pure and innocent even when they speak of the impurities in the town.

3) Where's Proctor?: Although it is true that some convictions were unjustly delivered, the hysteria planted a seed of fear in the hearts of many. People were unwilling to speak up against the trials, for they would be speaking against the pure and innocent hearts of children. In addition, they would be marked as a "child-hater" and lose their reputations in society.

One of the major conflicts in "The Crucible" is the battle Proctor harbors within himself. Because he cannot come to terms with his sins, he refuses to let go of his reputation. Others also feared of speaking against the trials, for they would be sent to jail.

How did such an absurd hysteria rise about? By the early 1980s, more than 50% of all mothers were working outside of their home, resulting in more daycare centers. Mothers often felt understandable worry leaving their children in the hands of strangers; however, news reports of child abuse propelled many mothers to feelings of anxiety, thereby raising suspicion that daycares did not provide enough love for their children. Such anxiety created a hysteria that readily believed any false accusations as a means of a scapegoat.

Although the Salem witch trials occurred over 300 years ago, history has caught us in its rigid cycle of repetition. In the daycare trials, adults often believed the children because their stories reinforced the truth, while children often lied in order to please their parents. In the Salem witch trials, families used their daughters to fabricate lies as truths, while daughters did so to gain power. The cycle seemingly never ends and prompts us to question when the next one will begin.