Description
Book Synopsis: A brilliant, disturbing portrait of the dawn of the culture wars, when America started to tear itself apart with doubts, wild allegations, and an unfounded fear for the safety of children. During the 1980s in California, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, and elsewhere, day care workers were arrested, charged, tried, and convicted of committing horrible sexual crimes against the children they cared for. These crimes, social workers and prosecutors said, had gone undetected for years, and they consisted of a brutality and sadism that defied all imagining. The dangers of babysitting services and day care centers became a national news media fixation. Of the many hundreds of people who were investigated in connection with day care and ritual abuse cases around the country, some 190 were formally charged with crimes, leading to more than 80 convictions. It would take years for people to realize what the defendants had said all along -- that these prosecutions were the product of a decade-long outbreak of collective hysteria on par with the Salem witch trials. Social workers and detectives employed coercive interviewing techniques that led children to tell them what they wanted to hear. Local and national journalists fanned the flames by promoting the stories' salacious aspects, while aggressive prosecutors sought to make their careers by unearthing an unspeakable evil where parents feared it most. Using extensive archival research and drawing on dozens of interviews conducted with the hysteria's major figures, n+1 editor Richard Beck shows how a group of legislators, doctors, lawyers, and parents -- most working with the best of intentions -- set the stage for a cultural disaster. The climate of fear that surrounded these cases influenced a whole series of arguments about women, children, and sex. It also drove a right-wing cultural resurgence that, in many respects, continues to this day.
Details
Are you ready to dive into a gripping, thought-provoking tale that will leave you questioning the fabric of our society? Look no further than "We Believe the Children: A Moral Panic in the 1980s." This groundbreaking book offers a disturbing yet brilliant portrait of America tearing itself apart in the midst of doubts, wild allegations, and an unfounded fear for the safety of our precious children.
In the 1980s, day care workers across the country were at the center of a wave of horrifying sexual crimes against the innocent children under their care. This shocking narrative unravels the dark depths of these crimes that had gone undetected for years, revealing the brutal realities and sadistic acts that defy belief. It was a time when the dangers of babysitting services and day care centers consumed the national news media, sending shockwaves through communities from California to New York, from Texas to Ohio.
While social workers and prosecutors vehemently argued for the guilt of those accused, the defendants maintained their innocence, insisting that these prosecutions were nothing more than a product of collective hysteria. And they were right. Richard Beck's impeccable research and numerous interviews with key figures involved in this moral panic shine a light on a decade-long outbreak of hysteria that rivals the infamous Salem witch trials.
This gripping book delves into the coercive interviewing techniques employed by social workers and detectives, leading to children telling authorities what they wanted to hear. The media, both local and national, sensationalized the cases, further fueling the flames of panic. Meanwhile, prosecutors sought to make their careers by unearthing an unspeakable evil that struck fear into the hearts of parents across the nation.
"We Believe the Children" not only sheds light on the true horrors of this era but also explores the societal aftermath. The climate of fear that surrounded these cases sparked a resurgence of right-wing cultural movements, shaping the discourse around women, children, and sex. Even today, the consequences of this cultural disaster reverberate through our society.
Don't miss out on this captivating and timely exploration of a dark chapter in American history. Immerse yourself in the gripping narrative expertly woven by Richard Beck. Click here to grab your copy of "We Believe the Children: A Moral Panic in the 1980s" and embark on a journey that will challenge your assumptions and leave you pondering the power of collective hysteria.
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