The Monster Was Never The Witch: A History Of Who We Decide To Burn

It shows up in spiritual communities today as the swift, total expulsion of someone who asked an uncomfortable question about a teacher's conduct. It shows up as a private message chain deciding, collectively and without the accused present, that someone's "energy" can no longer be trusted near the group — a charge with no defense available, since it requires no evidence and admits no rebuttal. It shows up online as the pile-on that arrives before anyone has gathered the actual facts, because the speed of the condemnation has become its own kind of proof, and waiting to learn more reads, to the crowd, as suspicious in itself.