Satanic Panic in the 80s: How a Fear-based Conspiracy Spiralled out of Control

America in the late ’80s and early ’90s simmered with a sense of unease, as fear and uncertainty rippled through every corner of society. The hysteria referred to as Satanic Panic was a fear-based conspiracy grounded in the genuine belief in the return of the devil, also known as Satan. Baseless claims of mass abuse swept the nation, with fear quickly reaching staggering heights. Many of the accused were convicted while scepticism of the claims was almost non-existent. The most troubling cases involved alleged abuse by caregivers.

https://ca.pinterest.com/pin/589760513729840836/

Satanic ritual abuse became especially worrisome shortly after the release of the book Michelle Remembers, written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder, and his patient at the time, Michelle Smith. The novel described the now widely discredited use of recovered- memory therapy, in which Smith recalled her own experiences of abuse performed by Satanists. The book became a best-seller. Law enforcement quickly started investigating the claims, ultimately perpetuating mistrust within the judicial system.

Books weren't the only vessel to inspire fear. In 1983, the famous case of the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California transpired. A mother of a young boy made a report to the police detailing that one of the preschool workers had sodomized her son. These claims were based on an inference made by the mother about a painful bowel movement that her son experienced. Police did not take the claim lightly, and did more than their due diligence by contacting the parents of over 200 children from the daycare to investigate if this was an isolated incident. Parents were instructed by investigation leaders to ask their children if they had experienced things out of the ordinary. In addition, private interrogations of the children took place simultaneously. Leading and suggestive questions resulted in the accusations of seven daycare employees committing hundreds of counts of child molestation and conspiracy. Due to a lack of concrete evidence, five of the seven accused had their charges dropped. At this point, the story of McMartin had touched all sides of the globe, and while skepticism about these conspiracies slowly grew, so did the sheer frequency of claims arising from children and parents. Outrageous and evidently baseless claims such as animal sacrifice and flying preschool teachers sparked the question of ritualistic abuse. While all of the accused maintained their innocence, the trial took an entire seven years to conclude. As years went on recantations began to surface, exposing the reality that interrogators and therapists had irresponsibly coached and coerced the children into claiming these absurdities.

The McMartin case was the first of hundreds. Throughout the 80s and early 90s, fear continued to fuel misinformation. Parents were searching for abnormalities in their children's behaviour. Impressionable and easily coerced adolescents continued accusing childcare providers, teachers, and babysitters of outlandish acts. With law enforcement primed to worry about ritualistic abuse, cases that began with mild claims spiralled into extreme allegations involving sex abuse rings, pornography rituals and more. Parents and law enforcement urged kids to tell a story, and when the explanation had holes, either because a parent made a claim that was not corroborated by the child or the child was unable to elaborate on the claim, wrongful accusations arose.

As is commonly the case, marginalized groups became scapegoats in cases where authorities could not find a place to pin the blame. The blaming of minority groups was especially prominent in what is known as the Bible Belt of America; a term coined by journalist H.L. Mencken. The Bible Belt references many southern states and their emphasis on Evangelical Christianity. Stretching from Florida to Texas, the Bible Belt’s evangelical views combined with its deep-rooted history in slavery led to a “perfect storm” that was conducive to paranoia about Satanism and ritualistic abuse at the hands of minority groups. This is not to say that panic did not ensue elsewhere, as the case that further grounded the Satanic Panic took place in California.

As skepticism about the legitimacy of these claims increased during the late 90s, alleged victims started to come forward with recantations and explanations of coercion committed by doctors, therapists, police, and family members. The wide-swept paranoia had become the reason for hundreds of wrongful accusations, often unintentionally led by people in positions of power. Leading questions became common practice as investigators were led by confirmation bias, essentially looking for an answer already formulated by the Satanic Panic phenomenon.

There is no clear and straightforward answer as to why these accusations took place. By the end of the 90s, ideologies of Satanist behaviour and abuse were being heavily questioned and panic slowed. Wrongful convictions began to be exonerated. The hyperrealistic viewpoint defined by theorist Jean Baudrillard explained that what is seen in media can sometimes be confused and translated into lived experience. The book Michelle Remembers created a panic that filtered the way that people interpreted everyday, normal practices, like sending your child to daycare.

The manifestation of hyperreality in Americans' everyday lives caused what is now known as the phenomenon of Satanic Panic. Efforts to right the judicial system's wrongdoings continue as those wrongfully accused continue to search for justice. People in positions of power such as doctors, therapists, and police who were associated with these cases, now generally condemn the phenomenon and its negative effects on society.

The rise of conspiracy theories in conjunction with hyperrealistic views propagated by the media intensified fears of ritualistic abuse. The discredit of these cases highlights the risk of mass paranoia and the danger of spreading misinformation. Unfortunately, fear-based conspiracies continue to emerge in modern society (e.g., Pizzagate).

Social media may serve to further amplify the reach of these conspiracies due to its created environment to continue the spread of misinformation. By actively reflecting on the causes and consequences that led to the Satanic Panic, we may be able to limit the societal and personal harms that fear-based conspiracies have the potential to generate.