Hey, uh, great wizard, perhaps you shouldn’t throw stones? ;)
For real, though, witch hunts were always adventures in scapegoating. People are always easier to placate when you can redirect their fear and anger away from the establishment (whether that’s your chieftain, congregation, parish, fiefdom, governor, or king) and onto someone who can’t defend themselves. That’s usually the marginalised – the homeless, disabled, religiously ‘deviant’, or just annoying – because they can’t fight back. Bonus points if they have property or assets you can seize.
It’s never been about beliefs, and it’s always been about taking from people who can’t defend themselves – and making them that way by separating them from their community. This is what sociopaths have always done when we put them in charge.
Hey, uh, great wizard, perhaps you shouldn’t throw stones? ;)
For real, though, witch hunts were always adventures in scapegoating. People are always easier to placate when you can redirect their fear and anger away from the establishment (whether that’s your chieftain, congregation, parish, fiefdom, governor, or king) and onto someone who can’t defend themselves. That’s usually the marginalised – the homeless, disabled, religiously ‘deviant’, or just annoying – because they can’t fight back. Bonus points if they have property or assets you can seize.
It’s never been about beliefs, and it’s always been about taking from people who can’t defend themselves – and making them that way by separating them from their community. This is what sociopaths have always done when we put them in charge.