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We think we know the story of the witch. Images flicker in our minds – cackling women around cauldrons, the fiery pyres of Salem, perhaps a pointy hat or two for good measure. But like so much of what passes for common knowledge, the truth is far more unsettling, more persistent, and speaks volumes about the fault lines in our own supposedly enlightened world.
The academic consensus, when it bothers to look beyond the sensationalized narratives, points to a grim reality: witch hunts are not relics of a superstitious past; they are a recurring symptom of social and economic breakdown, a brutal tool wielded in times of upheaval and fear. The whispers of accusation that led to Iquo Edet Eyo’s horrific death in Nigeria in 2022, because of a motorcycle crash blamed on her alleged witchcraft, echo across centuries and continents. As Scientific American makes chillingly clear, the narrative could just as easily be set in 16th-century Germany, 21st-century India, or countless other places where the label of "witch" becomes a death sentence. Far from fading with modernization, these persecutions persist, and in some regions, may even be on the rise.
Why? Because the roots of the witch hunt are not solely planted in irrational fear. They intertwine with tangible societal stresses: continue reading article
This is Heliox: Where Evidence Meets Empathy
Independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter. Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas.
Thanks for listening today!
Four recurring narratives underlie every episode: boundary dissolution, adaptive complexity, embodied knowledge, and quantum-like uncertainty. These aren’t just philosophical musings but frameworks for understanding our modern world.
We hope you continue exploring our other podcasts, responding to the content, and checking out our related articles on the Heliox Podcast on Substack.
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About SCZoomers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1632045180447285
https://x.com/SCZoomers
https://mstdn.ca/@SCZoomers
https://bsky.app/profile/safety.bsky.app
Spoken word, short and sweet, with rhythm and a catchy beat.
http://tinyurl.com/stonefolksongs
Curated, independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, evidenced-based, clinical & community information regarding COVID-19. Since 2017, it has focused on Covid since Feb 2020, with Multiple Stores per day, hence a large searchable base of stories to date. More than 4000 stories on COVID-19 alone. Hundreds of stories on Climate Change.
Zoomers of the Sunshine Coast is a news organization with the advantages of deeply rooted connections within our local community, combined with a provincial, national and global following and exposure. In written form, audio, and video, we provide evidence-based and referenced stories interspersed with curated commentary, satire and humour. We reference where our stories come from and who wrote, published, and even inspired them. Using a social media platform means we have a much higher degree of interaction with our readers than conventional media and provides a significant amplification effect, positively. We expect the same courtesy of other media referencing our stories.
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We think we know the story of the witch. Images flicker in our minds – cackling women around cauldrons, the fiery pyres of Salem, perhaps a pointy hat or two for good measure. But like so much of what passes for common knowledge, the truth is far more unsettling, more persistent, and speaks volumes about the fault lines in our own supposedly enlightened world.
The academic consensus, when it bothers to look beyond the sensationalized narratives, points to a grim reality: witch hunts are not relics of a superstitious past; they are a recurring symptom of social and economic breakdown, a brutal tool wielded in times of upheaval and fear. The whispers of accusation that led to Iquo Edet Eyo’s horrific death in Nigeria in 2022, because of a motorcycle crash blamed on her alleged witchcraft, echo across centuries and continents. As Scientific American makes chillingly clear, the narrative could just as easily be set in 16th-century Germany, 21st-century India, or countless other places where the label of "witch" becomes a death sentence. Far from fading with modernization, these persecutions persist, and in some regions, may even be on the rise.
Why? Because the roots of the witch hunt are not solely planted in irrational fear. They intertwine with tangible societal stresses: continue reading article
This is Heliox: Where Evidence Meets Empathy
Independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter. Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas.
Thanks for listening today!
Four recurring narratives underlie every episode: boundary dissolution, adaptive complexity, embodied knowledge, and quantum-like uncertainty. These aren’t just philosophical musings but frameworks for understanding our modern world.
We hope you continue exploring our other podcasts, responding to the content, and checking out our related articles on the Heliox Podcast on Substack.
Support the show
About SCZoomers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1632045180447285
https://x.com/SCZoomers
https://mstdn.ca/@SCZoomers
https://bsky.app/profile/safety.bsky.app
Spoken word, short and sweet, with rhythm and a catchy beat.
http://tinyurl.com/stonefolksongs
Curated, independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, evidenced-based, clinical & community information regarding COVID-19. Since 2017, it has focused on Covid since Feb 2020, with Multiple Stores per day, hence a large searchable base of stories to date. More than 4000 stories on COVID-19 alone. Hundreds of stories on Climate Change.
Zoomers of the Sunshine Coast is a news organization with the advantages of deeply rooted connections within our local community, combined with a provincial, national and global following and exposure. In written form, audio, and video, we provide evidence-based and referenced stories interspersed with curated commentary, satire and humour. We reference where our stories come from and who wrote, published, and even inspired them. Using a social media platform means we have a much higher degree of interaction with our readers than conventional media and provides a significant amplification effect, positively. We expect the same courtesy of other media referencing our stories.