When I think of a witch, I think of a mechanism to
target a specific group or individual by those with an agenda. In the early
middle ages it was employed by those in power, their sycophants, individuals
with a grudge, and by those who truly believed in the supernatural (assuredly
other motivations exist). The witch accusation held tremendous weight and often
encouraged others to rally behind the statement. This mutual agreement was
arguably fueled by fear and demonstrates its ability to keep order by pandering
to fear. Witches were seen as pariahs
and directly challenged the ecclesiastical dogma that permeated the minds of
westerners. We can draw direct parallels between the witch
and the modern day terrorist. There isn’t an inkling of doubt that real, tangible
terrorist operate in today’s world carrying out heinous crimes against
humanity. These are not the terrorists I’m referencing. I’m talking about the idea of the terrorist
and how it is a vessel to carry out an agenda. By planting a message that discourages
opposition, demands conformity, and idolizes homogeneity. Good citizens behave
in an obsequious fashion and don’t dare defy authority or else dire consequences ensue – possibly being labeled a terrorist. As a result, many stand by and keep quiet out of
fear. This ever-lurking terrorist is propaganda disseminated among the masses to justify and sustain the itinerary of the state, specifically an international one. These spurious accusations
are often not based on empirical evidence, but on physical, cultural, and
religious profiling. We have seen these contemporary witch hunts materialize
and subsequently dehumanize distinct groups. We have witnessed a flux in
xenophonbia and people who actually generalize entire groups as malefactors. Otten
mentions how the witch “was an object of hatred for her neighbors”. Deprivation of human qualities and
scapegoating were utilized by inquisitors to extirpate these “witches” or “demons”
(who were actual humans) from society. Similar avenues have been traveled to carry out the removal of terrorists ultimately causing immense collateral damage and loss of innocent lives. The witch is incontrovertibly still
extant in our modern world, but it has undergone many permutations since its
inception. However, 400 years ago or today, it still manifests in the form of a
psychological weapon.
You made a really interesting connection, I like it, that did not occur to me at all. Its almost like the only thing that's changed in our society today is that we find different ways to profile someone who strays from the norm. Today, if your not patriotic, your a terrorist, 400 years ago if you were a woman who didn't go to church you were a witch. Today's society probably won't burn you at the steak for being a terrorist, but in a social sense you would be. It's definitely a psychological weapon, like you said, meant to keep you a well behaved American citizen.
ReplyDeleteGreat observation, James! In the past, I've used images of Osama as monster to get at precisely this point. The function of calling a cultural "other" a terrorist definitely relates to much of our course material. Nice work.
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