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| the Zoot Suite |
Thanks to john's post, I had the idea of examining modern
events and how they overlap with the infamous Salem Witch trials. The idea of blindly
convict a human being without sufficient evidence is nothing new. It has been around
for centuries and it is still around until these days. The trials itself might
differ these days. A modern witch trial could be performed outside of court. Moreover,
the sentence can be carried out by the society outside the boundaries of law. Destroying
someone's life can be performed literally and virtually. A person might not physically
die but his career, marriage, family, livelihood and mentality just might. An
example of a modern witch trial is the patriotic act. Anyone suspected of acts
of terrorism is sent to Guantanamo bay even without sufficient evidence. The zoot
suite riots in the 1940s are also a good example. This type of suite was
popular among some parts of the society who happened to be not white. Some people
found it to be distasteful and started beating and stripping whoever wears it. The
law did nothing to prevent these violent riots. The Holocaust is the most
similar instance of the witch trials. Condemning people just based on their identity
or looks is the very essence of both the witch trials and the Holocaust. The
media these days is vastly similar to a Salem's trials judge. The media has no
problem destroying someone's life, dignity, career, reputation and credentials just
because the person doesn't agree with them. Most of the time they have no proof
that he did anything wrong but rather fake same footage or make a genuine good
act appear as a bad deed. Twisting facts and presenting only part of the truth
is the 21st century's way of sentencing someone to a life of agony. These were
all examples of similar events to the witch trials. They might not be the same
but the results are certainly the same.
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| Media Hypocrisy, all parties' Families should be off limit if they are not involved in the issue |
HI Hatem,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that my post got you thinking about things like public shaming and persecution via the media, the public or even governments. In addition to your excellent examples, I am reminded of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. In 1942, the Federal Government, led by President FDR, decided that Japanese American US Citizens living in the US were a threat to our national security after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. A quick Wikipedia check tells us that approximately 120,000 people (men, women, children, families) were interned beginning in the Spring of 1942. They were forced to leave their homes and live in prison-like conditions until 1945, when the war ended. After they were released, each was given, again according to Wikipedia, "$25 and a bus ticket to their former home town." This was, in my opinion, one of the most shameful acts ever committed by the United States government, and even today it is not talked about all that much. Had you heard about this before?