Several examples of a modern day witch hunt come to mind such as the persecutions of gays, or specific religious parties. The Mormons were driven from their homes and tortured for their beliefs, the Jews were put in concentration camps and murdered because of who they were. I recently read about men who would and receive shots to "cure" their homosexuality back in the day because it was believed to be so wrong. All of these things can be compared to the Salem Witch Trials, which is something I had never thought of before. We live in a world that judges so quickly, such tiny matters.
This morning my sister posted something on Facebook about how wrong it is to spank a child no matter what the case, and I have personally felt the need to spank my son a couple times in his life. It made me feel like she was judging me, trying to make me see how I was wrong and she was right. As mothers today, we are all judged so harshly on the things we do. Breastfeeding or not, breastfeeding in public or not. Immunizations, religion, discipline, TV or screen time, the list never ends. I am guilty of it as well, looking at others parenting skills and judging them too harshly when I don't know the full situation. If we look at things in a different light we can see how much we accuse others of "witchcraft" so easily, shunning them for their mistakes or even just the choices they find acceptable or not. Although we are not put to death for these small differences, we most certainly can feel such a strong and unreasonable pressure, as though we are suffocating.
It always seems to boil down to being judged for actions that appear different or strange to some people. To many people have the single minded thought process that "this is how it's always been done, so this is how we do it" and its sad. People want to be gay, for exampe? Then fine, I say let them because its not my business. People are persecuted and ridiculed for the most ridiculous things and I feel like if it bothers them that much, then maybe they shouldn't focus on it. To each their own I say and all these small "witch hunts" to date are just a big messy and pointless confusion.
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly true that the Mormons, and Jews have had troubling, and can definitely be related back to the witch hunting that occurs in The Crucible. Indeed, we do sadly live in a society that judges people very harshly and quickly. Interesting that you bring parenting into the discussion as you are correct that others are very quick to jump to conclusions when parenting in public. Yes, perspective is a funny thing, when we can walk a mile in someone else's shoes, this way it becomes a lot more difficult for one to judge someone based on their outward appearance.
ReplyDeleteYou are not a bad person for spanking your child! I got spanked by my dad and I know that I deserved my punishment and I actually appreciate that he taught me a very important lesson. It's like you can't punish your kids these days anymore and now you wonder why kids are feeling more and more privileged and they feel as if everything must be handed down to them. That is her opinion though and I guess she shouldn't be chastised for it. It seems as if people can't mind their own business and just let people do what they want (such as punishing their child in their own way). Like Stephen said, people can't seem to put themselves in other people's shoes also!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. I have 2 children of my own and feel like I am always being judged on how to care for them. Do I give them the flu shot or not? Do I give them the stronger medication or just the other that may not be as strong? This should not happen. We all have different beliefs and parenting styles and should not feel bad for how we raise our children.
ReplyDeleteYour post actually made me think about something that I came across on the internet a while back. I can't remember what it was called or how I stumbled on it, but it was basically meant to address the "mommy wars" that you mentioned. It acknowledged that parents are always going after each other and criticizing each other saying that they are right and the others are wrong. I think it had a photo collage of mothers holding signs like "I spank" and "I never spank" in an effort to recognize that all of these women portrayed had different views about parenting, but at the end of the day they were all doing what they personally believed was right for their kids, and it is time to stop "the mommy wars."
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