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The origins -

To understand how this moral panic developed in the 1980s, first we need to understand the cultural shift in the US at the time. In particular, the influence of the rise of the evangelical Christian movement.

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Cultural shift -

This led to the founding of a political action group called the Moral Majority. The group was formed in 1979 by Baptist minister Jerry Falwell, Sr., and Ronald Reagan was a supporter.

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Cultural shift -

President from 1981 to 1989, this hardline Christian approach appealed to Reagan's conservative government. Indeed, the good vs evil dichotomy was taken very seriously by conservative Christians.

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Cultural shift -

While the 1960s and '70s saw more liberal culture changes, these made a U-turn in the '80s. All of a sudden, figures such as occultist Anton LaVey and his Church of Satan posed a real threat.

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Quack therapies -

The rise of quack therapies also played a huge part in this moral panic. Therapies such as hypnotic regression gained popularity, particularly for being able to bring back repressed memories (which were often pretty bad ones).

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'Michelle Remembers' -

This "recovered memories" concept was the basis upon which the book 'Michelle Remembers' was written. The book was written by Michelle Smith and her psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder. It detailed Smith's hypnotic regression sessions.

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'Michelle Remembers' -

The 1980 book brought to light Michelle Smith's "recovered memories" of abuse. More specifically, of Satanic ritual abuse, which included graveyard rituals and the consumption of human remains. 'Michelle Remembers' was an important stepping stone in the Satanic panic of the decade.

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The McMartin preschool trial -

The McMartin preschool trial was a day care abuse case, where members of the McMartin family were charged with numerous acts of abuse of children.

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The McMartin preschool trial -

Judy Johnson, the mother of a child who attended the preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, told the police in 1983 that her son was a victim of abuse. The abusers in question were Peggy McMartin Buckey and her son Ray Buckey (pictured), who allegedly presented the child to a "goatman" in a "ritual-type atmosphere."

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The McMartin preschool trial -

The police then contacted the families of the children who attended the school, mentioning "possible criminal acts" by Ray Buckey. A panic was instigated.

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The McMartin preschool trial -

Many years and US$15 million later, investigators found no evidence that supported the accusations. After Judy Johnson's death, it was revealed that she suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.

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Unproven methods -

Kee MacFarlane led the investigations when it came to getting children's testimonies. Except neither MacFarlane nor her team were qualified or indeed licensed to do so, and they are known to have employed dubious techniques.

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Unproven methods -

A number of techniques, including leading questions to manipulate answers, were used. Anatomically correct dolls and hand puppets were also used. MacFarlane even told one child, "You're just a scaredy cat. How come you won't tell me?"

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Unproven methods -

Other unproven methods included the analysis of children's drawings and how they played with toys. The investigators reportedly went as far as rewarding children who told stories that confirmed their suspicions.

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The Country Walk case -

The 1985 Country Walk case was another high-profile case at the time. Frank and Ileana Fuster were charged for abuse at their home daycare in Miami, Florida.

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The Country Walk case -

Then-Dade County state attorney Janet Reno prosecuted Frank and Ileana Fuster, following a confession (eventually recanted) from the latter, a child testimony, and a single medical test.

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Law enforcement training -

As the Satanic panic grew stronger, police officers underwent specific training to deal with the threat.

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Law enforcement training -

The training involved identifying signs of Satanic activity, including graffiti and heavy metal music.

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Law enforcement training -

A document from the Chicago Police Department alleges that the peace symbol designed in the '50s is the "cross of Nero," which represents an inverted cross on which St. Peter was crucified. The inverted cross (not this one) was commonly used by Satanists.

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Parents Music Resource Center -

In 1985, Tipper Gore (wife of then-Senator Al Gore) was among the founders of the Parents Music Resource Center. The aim of the PMRC was to increase parental control over explicit content in music, both in artwork and in lyrics. The most objectionable artists were indeed heavy metal bands, and those who listened to such music were stigmatized.

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Geraldo Rivera -

In 1988, talk show host Geraldo Rivera presented a special about Satanism. Rivera addressed numerous topics, ranging from the imagery used by heavy metal bands to teenage slang, claiming that "Satanism is not a harmless fad or a passing phase."

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The West Memphis Three -

Jessie Misskelley Jr., Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin (L-R) famously became known as the 'West Memphis Three.' In 1993, they were accused of assaulting and murdering three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The accusations were heavily influenced by the music they listened to and the way they dressed.

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The West Memphis Three -

Damien Echols, who was accused of leading a Satanic cult, was even sentenced to death, but all three have now been released from prison. The real killer was never found.

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Martensville Satanic scandal -

The Satanic panic actually spread outside the US. The Martensville Satanic scandal took place in 1992 in Martensville, Saskatchewan, in Canada. Again, day care children were said to be the victims of Satanic ritual abuse. In 2003, the defendants sued for wrongful prosecution and won.

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The "Devils of Lower Modena" -

This case from Italy involved numerus children accusing their parents of abuse. This included "nighttime rituals in cemeteries where children were forced to burn crosses and murder cats." Sixteen children were removed from their families as a result. Some members of the alleged ring of Satanic child abusers were arrested, but the dubious methods used during the investigation are still contested to this day.

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Pizzagate -

This conspiracy theory claimed that a pizza restaurant was involved in a child sex-trafficking ring led by politician Hillary Clinton. This led to a man named Edgar Maddison Welch entering the restaurant in 2016 with a rifle in an attempt to "rescue" the children. The case is reminiscent of the moral panic of decades prior.

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QAnon -

And then we have the Q conspiracy, better known as QAnon. Believers claim that a group of Satanic child abusers have conspired against Donald Trump and are indeed a threat to children. 

Sources: (Grunge) (Vox) (The New York Times) (Vice)

See also: Conspiracy theories Americans are obsessed with

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