1692, 324 years ago the Salem Witch Trials happened here. We now know Salem as the Witch City, where movies like “Bewitched” & “Hocus Pocus” were filmed. Pop culture makes it all look partly fun and amusing, partly spooky and dark… But the crazy thing? What REALLY happened here is even worse than the horror stories we hear about.
It’s not about the devil rituals and the vodoo and the broomstick and the witchcraft. No, it’s way uglier than that. It was about wrong stupid accusations and generalizations that turned deadly when prominent community leaders used these rumors and fears to fuel their own “heroic” agenda. Sadly, this sounds all too familiar even in 2016. #masshysteria
I came to Salem very curious, expecting to be amused. Here I am, melancholic and humbled. Humbled because, today, I am reminded that no matter where or how, seemingly harmless generalizations about people is a path to the dark side. I am reminded that we cannot and should not blindly follow anyone who uses our fears to turn us against each other… Today, I am reminded to speak up against injustice, against stereotyping, against hate and anger.
The Salem Witch Trials is a gory horror story not in the ways of the “devil” but in the ways that we let the evil in us conquer the good. #alwaysfightthegoodfight
