Satan and Those Who Feared Him
Really, when it comes down to it, trials like these say more about the people accusing than about the accused. Today we have cancel culture and conspiracy theories, but before Q Anon and the likes, there was Satan and those who feared him.
Photo by Patrick Downs/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Now it’s referred to as the “Satanic Panic,” but back in the ’80s, it was a real, life-altering fear – one that sent people to death row for bizarre crimes they never even committed. In the early ‘80s, newscasters and fundamentalist Christian cartoons were warning people of the evils of “Dungeons & Dragons” (the role-playing game).