Jeffrey S. Victor

I wanted to like this book more than I did. As a reminder of the "Satanic ritual abuse" moral panic(s) of the late 1908s, it was pretty good, with a nice timeline and good references. I was less convinced by the author's analysis of the events—not because I disagree with his arguments or his conclusions, but because they didn't feel well argued or well justified. There was also a weird amount of self promotion in the book—the author, who is/was apparently an instructor in a community college in western New York, seemed to feel very defensive about his academic credentials (maybe justifiably).

I almost put the book down early on, when the author was describing the events in the community where he lived, and was talking about the new "punk" music subculture emerging in the area, and locals' suspicions of their motives. All fine, but he goes on to mention that one of these new bands, "The 10,000 Maniacs", went on to become famous. I'm honestly not sure whether he was aware of the kind of music they did (and included it as a joke) or just thought that their music had to be disturbing and offensive in the same way that many people viewed "heavy metal" at the time based solely on their name. (No doubt their hippie-peacenik music was problematic for some of the conservative locals.)

Anyway, worth a skim, and a nice source for additional writing on the 80s SRA panic as well as pointers to information about earlier moral panics (e.g., European and early American witch hunts, antisemitic pogroms and the blood libel). But probably not worth owning.… (más)

This is an excellent discussion of the anxiety about Satanism that surfaced in the 80s and caused many rumor-panics throughout the United States during the 80s and 90s. Victor looks at the issue from a sociological point of view. What could cause otherwise level-headed individuals to believe that there are secret cabals of Satanists infiltrating all of the institutions we hold dear? What causes people to become so worried about rumors of the projected ritual sacrifice of a blond, blue-eyed virgin that they keep their children home from school?

Victor discusses the anatomy of a specific rumor-panic in rural Pennsylvania, demonstrating how the various events, rumors, and prejudices combined to create a panic that culminated in harassment of local youth and property damage in the realm of $4,000. He also devotes several chapters to the allegations of Satanic ritual abuse in daycare facilities that made national headlines and destroyed many people's lives. Victor demonstrates that these are not new phenomenon; not only are they familiar to anyone who has read "The Crucible," they also tie into "Blood Libel" rumors that have most often been anti-Semitic in tone, but have also been attached to many other groups throughout history.

This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in how damaging rumors start and how they take on a life of their own.… (más)