1) What characteristics of a cult and/or conspiracy and/or moral panic do the case studies share? How are they different from one another? While dealing with Jonestown it could be perceived as both a cult and a conspiracy theory. The way it fits into being a conspiracy is that many do not believe what was reported and feel that the government, especially the CIA had involvement and made efforts to alter peoples minds for uses of a social experiment. Jonestown also could be considered a cult because in 1955 roughly 1000 citizens formed “The Peoples Temple” in Indiana. It was later progressed to California then finally in 1974 they made there final stop in Guyana. These members usually large in diversity would have mass gatherings and preach …show more content…
For instance a point of similarity within conspiracies is the fact that both of these cases have theories that the government had severe involvement in both situations and kept themselves secretive throughout the events. An example involving moral panic is relatively simple. The fear of death and safety struck big in causing a mainstream moral panic. In Jonestown roughly 900 people appeared to have committed suicide from poisoning and with 9/11 al-Qaeda successfully launched an attack on some of the most important structures within the United States killing …show more content…
How do they differ?) Each case study has its similarities and differences but they are all unique in their own way. For instance they involve the government and powerful individuals or organizations. The Jonestown case said that the FBI was secretively involved, 9/11 conspiracy stated that the Government knew of the possible attacks and did not try to stop it and also may have been behind the entire operation. Obama and beyond said that the president of the United States of America was in fact not actually born in the country and finally the Satanic Panic had participation from the illuminati which consisted of various powerful political leaders as well as popular musicians who allegedly had satanic messages in their songs. In all of these cases the government was involved in organization and also
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines massacre as “the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty” or “a cruel or wanton murder” (m-w.com). Essentially a massacre results in either the death of many people or death by cruel means. The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, in Boston, Massachusetts and involved American colonists and British troops. The colonists, upset by recent laws enacted by the British, taunted a smaller group of British soldiers by throwing snowballs at them (Boston Massacre Historical Society). In response, the soldiers fired upon the unarmed colonists leaving five people dead and six wounded (Phelan, 131). Even though the event in Boston on March 5, 1770, in which blood was shed, and called the Boston Massacre, the actions which took place on that day did not constitute a massacre. Since only five people were killed and six wounded and there was no evidence of cruelty, the name Boston Massacre was likely a propaganda ploy by Samuel Adams to rally the colonists against the British instead of a true massacre.
The Newburgh Conspiracy of 1782 was the closest an American army has ever come to a revolt or coup d’état (Kohn, 17). Due to the failed attempt to ratify the Impost of 1781, Alexander Hamilton, one of the most involved conspirators in Congress to partake in the conspiracy, along with other nationalist conspirators in Congress, attempted to use the threat of the conspiracy as a weapon to pressure Congress into accepting an amendment to the Articles of Confederation. This amendment would allow the national government the power to tax imports, which would also result in a stronger national government; the Impost of 1781 would have given the government the ability to lay a 5% duty on imports. Alexander Hamilton tried to encourage General George Washington to help pressure Congress as well, but Washington remained true to his position as general of the American Army.
The mass hysteria between today’s society and the Salem witch hunt can be compared through Freedom , Religion ,and the killing of innocent victims. Mass hysteria has caused a lot of destruction in society throughout the years. It has brought about a lot of chaos in both Salem as well as the present society. Mass hysteria has brought out a lot of fear in people in both Salem and present society.
In February 1998, Watertown, SD, was not bursting with riveting activity. Watertown had a population of 20,127 people in 1998, which is not much less than the 22,000 residents it has today. Brenda Barger was mayor of Watertown, SD, during the years of some of the worst flooding ever in Watertown. Although the little town of Watertown seems like the perfect rural town to raise a family, it’s not all butterflies and rainbows. On February 1, it was reported that two teenage girls were accused of beating a 47 year-old man to death in his home. David Paul Bauman died of a head injury caused by the girls. Bauman was currently unemployed and mildly disabled due to a car accident a number of years earlier (“2 Teen-agers Arrested in Watertown Killing”
“We do not learn from our mistakes so our tendencies have remained the same throughout time” (Kruempelstaedter). The similarities between 9/11 and The Crucible is that they both were accused of crimes. In Salem nobody knew when they would be accused, and in New York no one knew when another attack would happen. There were stereotypes against the accused witches and the Muslims. People were abused if anyone knew about any information and would not speak. Violence and public humiliation came about after accusations were made. Friends and families were destroyed by both situations.
Many conspiracy theories have been developed concerning what happened to the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001, but there are a select few that, similar to the truth, cannot be disproved without quite a bit of effort. One theory is that the Twin Towers were destroyed by controlled demolitions. Another idea of what happened is that planes did hit the towers, but they were remote controlled. A third theory is that Al Qaeda is not responsible for the 9-11 attacks (The Top September 11 Conspiracy Theories, n.d.). And last, but certainly not least, is the theory that the 9-11 attacks were a false flag operation. When considering these theories, there are many different controversial areas that should be assessed to differentiate between fact and opinion.
On the 29th o April, 1977 Captain Cook, commander of a British fleet, landed on the eastern shore of Australia, in an attempt to claim the land under the name of Britain. The land was to be claimed by Britain as a land where the British government could send convicts; in an attempt to ease the struggle in the over flowing prisons. Upon Cooks arrival, he was ordered to follow three rules of claiming a foreign land. They were;
A cult society is an organization that basically disguises itself as a religion. In a cult, they normally perform rituals. There are usually many people in these societies. In Jim Jones’s cult, there were at least one thousand people in this community.
The People’s Temple was religious cult founded and lead by Jim Jones, based in Jonestown, Guyana. The converts belonging to Peoples Temple may have joined for various reasons differing from one another, yet the one common bond they all shared was Jim Jones. They loved Jim, they feared Jim, and eventually they died for Jim .
The Homestead Strike, also known as the Homestead Steel Strike, Pinkerton Rebellion, or Homestead Massacre, was an industrial lockout and strike which began on June 30, 1892, culminating in a battle between strikers and private security agents on July 6, 1892. The battle was one of the most serious disputes in U.S. labor history, third behind the Ludlow Massacre and the Battle of Blair Mountain. The dispute occurred at the Homestead Steel Works in the Pittsburgh area town of Homestead, Pennsylvania, between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company. The result was a major defeat for the union and a setback for their efforts to unionize steelworkers.
There are many similarities in the hysterically excelled events. For example, families were ripped apart due to accusations which could have been false (“History of HIV and AIDS). During the AIDS epidemic many people would be beaten and abused by people because they were believed to be infected (“History of HIV and AIDS);The same occurred during the Witchcraft Trials in Salem(Miller, 1138). People of Salem were alleged witches because of simple events such as reading books(Miller, 1139);In the AIDS epidemic, many of those infected were believed to be gay due to the immune deficiency(Landau).
Cults are identified as social groups with abnormal and unusual practices as well as aberrant beliefs, some being religious. The study of cults has been ongoing for many years and by many cultic psychologists. Ultimately, it has been determined that cults have different beliefs however they do share similar characteristics. There are several different attributes that can define a group as a cult. The founder of the group for example, is created by oneself and is not held accountable for ...
When it comes to conspiracy theories there is a wide variety of them, but few people try to explain their appeal as thoroughly as the author Maggie Koerth-Baker through her article “Why Rational People Buy into Conspiracy Theories.” The author’s paper starts by talking about the incident at the Boston Marathon and how, even though one of the brothers had been arrested, there were still theories being created in order to explain the possible events and motives behind the attack. It is explained that the best way to determine someone’s belief in a theory is if they believe in other theories due to the fact that a conspiracy theory isn’t so much a response to a single event as it is an expression of an overarching worldview (Koerth-Baker 343).
On November 18, 1978, a notorious religious organization lead by Jim Jones became international news. As a result of manipulation and isolation, Jim Jones influenced his followers to commit suicide. Not only, but his followers were utterly convinced that what they were doing was for a good cause, specifically, a political movement. With kool-aid and a dash of cyanide, 918 people, adults and children, ended their lives that day. The aftermath of this horrific event resulted in numerous documentaries, on of which being, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Created in 2006, this documentary gives a thorough and accurate account of the events that lead up to as well as occured that day.
Since the beginning of settled civilizations, people have had more mutual sharings than ever before. By the same token, there have been some conspiracy theories that are usually against the culturally accepted beliefs of religions, science and society. A conspiracy theory can be described so differently. However, as in his text, Marshall Brain explicates, a conspiracy is generally defined as a theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act (Brain). Especially, after the new media has become quite popular, more and more conspiracies are theorized every single day, which aim to catch society’s attention via such media tools as the internet, journals and newspapers. Thus, people who theorize those conspiracies tend to use such objects as spiritual and mysterious ones in order to interest people. To illustrate, many examples can be given. For instance, many people have claimed that they were abducted by aliens, although they could show no evidences. Here, a citation from Blackmore could facilitate to understand the circumstance better. She states that people occasionally claim that they have been abducted from public places by aliens, in this case that may provide them with witnesses and affirmations but no evidence could be shown so far (Blackmore). As it is well known, only a small number of people believe such alien abductions, however, rating of this kind of news is quite high on media, because humankind has been wondering if there are extraterrestrial creatures out of the earth. Another example can be conspiracy theories which are about the origins of religions such as the rejection of Jesus Christ. There are some people who pay attention to...