The Satanic Panic

The Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s was a bizarre and troubling phenomenon that saw a wave of panic sweep across the United States, as people became convinced that there was a vast network of devil-worshippers operating in their midst.

At the heart of this panic were a series of lurid and sensationalized stories in the media, which purported to reveal the shocking truths about the satanic underworld. These stories often featured accounts of bizarre rituals, child abuse, and even human sacrifice, all supposedly committed by devil-worshipping cults.

As it turns out, however, there was very little substance to these stories. Despite the many claims of satanic activity, there was little concrete evidence to support these claims, and in many cases the people accused of being part of these satanic cults were later found to be entirely innocent.

So what explains this bizarre and troubling episode in our nation’s history? Some have pointed to the rise of the “moral panic” in the 1980s, as people became increasingly fearful of the rapidly changing social norms of the time. Others have suggested that this panic was driven by a wave of conservative Christian fervor, as religious groups sought to demonize anything that they saw as a threat to traditional values.

Whatever the underlying causes may have been, it is clear that the Satanic Panic…