A Rock and a Hard Place

I've read The Crucible many, many times. Yet each time I read or discuss it, new things feel most important. In this instance, I was immediately struck by the "rock and a hard place" those accused of witchcraft found themselves in. If they didn't confess, they would likely be hanged (a craft way around this snafu apparently was to get pregnant. This is yet another topic entirely), and if they confessed, religious and personal beliefs were shattered. In many cases, the only way out was to continue to point the finger, forcing those accused to become even more secluded from their community. There was no clean way out.

I find this strikingly similar to the situation those accused of Communism found themselves in. It is interesting to consider the endemic similarities in the two periods; needing someone to blame, something to claim responsibility, and to create fear and subsequently control within a community. These themes are clearly visible, though not at this point to the same magnitude, in current politics. The spreading of blame, pointing fingers, and declaring evils is the name of the game in discussing our country's leadership. I am sure this is the case elsewhere in the world as well. Which raises the question of exactly how inevitable witch hunts, for lack of a better term, are. Do they occur over certain periods? After a community endures struggles? At what point might we be able to expect them, and if we can predict them, does it do us any good?