The Pros And Cons Of Witch Hunts

Witch hunts have been around for generations. Both in the literal sense of hunting down supposed witches, and in the figurative sense of campaigning against a person or group with unpopular views. What exactly defines a “witch hunt” has differed throughout history, but there is a commonality throughout, a desire to return to normal. In Sean Armstrong’s article, Stalin 's Witch-Hunt: Magical Thinking in the Great Terror, he sums up what defines a witch hunt, no matter the situation or time period:

A witch-hunt arises when some part of a society feels generally threatened by witchcraft. Witches are secret enemies within, who look the same as everyone else until they are exposed, and this need to uncover hidden malice is what distinguishes witch-hunting from other forms of communal persecution. Once identified, witches are either brought back into the body politic through a process of confession and expiation, or expelled completely. Either way, the magical cause of misfortune is removed and the social balance restored. (Armstrong 224)

This explanation covers all the bases. How witch hunts come about (through enemies or threats), the process of a witch hunt (trials of a sort), the conclusion (the removal of the accused), and finally, the end goal of returning to normal. During the height of the witch trials, the conclusion was usually the supposed witch’s death, most likely via hanging. From a more modern standpoint, the reasoning and the process may be very similar, perhaps a