A History Full of Persecuting Innocent People

I am currently working on an expositroy essay for my research writing course. The topic I chose is The Salem Witch Trials. The information I found was just horrific. I asked myself, how is it that people can be so weak minded as to let bored teenagers, jealousy, fear of the unknown, the want for power, and prejudice cause them to kill innocent people. Then I began to think back on other times in history when the word of either one person or a few caused the persecution and eventually murders of millions of people. The first murder in history of course, was based off of jealousy, when Cain killed Abel. Then everything seems to fall apart. The Egyptians enslave and murder thousands of Jewish people. King Herod orders the murder of hundreds of baby boys due to fear of being replaced by someone who would be King of Kings, Jesus. Nero and those who ruled Rome before him ordered the murders of thousands of Christians because they feared that Christians would take over Rome. The first newcomers to America, find a land that they want, but was unfortunately, for them, already inhabited by Natives, or as they put it "Savages." In order for them to have full control, they murdered or enslaved hundreds of Native Americans. Actually, Mr. Christopher Columbus, who never set foot in main lands of the Americas (so why do we have Columbus Day?) and actually landed in the Bahamas, wrote in his journal, "The natives of the land are friendly, do not know violence and can easily be subjugated to the throne." He was just a murderer. He wiped out the whole people of the island and then moved to a nearby island where he wiped out that people to. Oh, and he only wiped out those people after he let his men and helped himself to satisfying their sexual needs by raping the women.

We now move on to the very topic of my essay: The Salem Witch Trials. The persecutions started when a little girl became "ill" and when the village's doctor could not cure her, they automatically assumed witchcraft. Right away, young and probably bored teenage girls showed the same signs and began to point their fingers at likely candidates for witchcraft. The first accused were Tatuba, a servant from Barbados who had different religious beliefs, Sarah Good, who was a beggar and lived with whomever would offer shelter, and Sarah Osborn, an old grouchy woman who hadn't been to church for a year. Anyways, as the trials began to progress, more people are accused of witchcraft because they speak out against the accusers. A woman stupidly announces that she thinks the young girls who are accusing everyone are lying, and conveniently the next day, she is accused of being a witch and is arrested. Her husband argues that she is innocent and he is also conveniently accused. He refuses to respond to the accusations and is therefore pressed or suffocated to death under heavy stones. His wife is hung eight days later. A couple of hundred people were accused and guess what? the majority were rich people who were accused by the poor people of the town. What may have caused this horrific event? Economics, religion, teenage boredom, jealousy? Before the persecutions began, the Salem Village (a smaller part of Salem) was trying to separate from Salem. SV was mostly agricultural while Salem was mostly sea trade. Isn't it amazing how suddenly a little girl in SV becomes ill and the finger is pointed to the people of Salem? Could it be that this was the answer for little Salem Village to gain it's independence from Salem? Hmmm...Let's ponder this for a moment. Oh, and conveniently enough, the jurors of the trials were followers of a certain Cotton Mathers who was a minister that taught against witchcraft. This guy was the first pervert to suggest that witchcraft (which buy they way, does not exist) was sexual. Yes, let's listen to a man who sees witchcraft as sexual. This man is just as perverted as that man who started those FLDS communities where men were allowed to have as many wives as they want and passed off their sick and twisted attraction to little girls by marrying them. (this is another post yet to come).

Let me get back on topic. In the late 1930s, early 1940s, a time when people think they have come a long way since the witch trials, we find a stupid man named Adolf Hitler brainwashing thousands of people to kill Jewish people. Now let's think about this. The Nazi's thought they were a superior race, right? Blonde hair, blue eyes, light-colored skin...well, I guess all they were lacking as brains, right? because they were letting a man like Hitler, dark-haired, dark eyes, tan skin lead them. Oh, and get this, Hitler had come from a line of not only the Catholic religion but the Jewish religion. I know, crazy, right? I mean, seriously, the Nazi's were not only stupid for not noticing these facts about the man they followed, but they also actually thought they were going to take over the world! Can you say HEEHAWW! Yes, that's right, they were a bunch of stupid jackasses! Anyways, because these Jewish people were viewed as different, millions of people were murdered in horrendous ways.

Now, we find ourselves in the early 1990s to now. Yes, that's right, prejudices lead to the murders of innocent people even now. Maybe not mass murders, but murders nonetheless. Everyday, people are persecuted and sometimes killed because they are different. Some people are harassed so much that they kill themselves. Kids, teenagers, adults. They are all guilty of accusing/harassing as well as being on the receiving end of the harassments. I recall in the early 90s that a young man, who was gay and HIV positive, was beaten to death by other young men and most likely because they were afraid and didn't fully understand why the guy was gay or what HIV was. When people don't have the knowledge of something, they often lash out in anger so as not to show their fear. Hmmm.. maybe they should try to educate themselves, right? I mean, call me crazy, but education seems to help you better understand something.

Every day, young kids kill themselves because they are being bullied at school. What can we do to help? Begin by talking to your own kids. Ask them if anything is wrong at school. You'll be surprised by just how many parents are unaware of the problems their kids are going through at school. I was actually being harassed by other girls at school. I was somewhat of a tomboy, shy, but able to hang out with the boys I played sports with. Well, I guess that gave enough cause for jealousy amongst the other girls who made it their goal in life to make me cry. I eventually tried to find ways to not go to school. I faked being sick, ditched school anything so that I wouldn't have to hear that I was a bitch, slut, whore, fat, ugly, lesbian(? even though I was accused of sleeping with the guys at the age of nine?). You name it and I was called it.  When I was thirteen, one girl, who was particulary worse than the rest, actually cornered me in a hall with her sidekicks and shopped off a good portion of my hair with scissors. This finally caused my parents to ask, "What's wrong?." I finally confessed everything and my parents yanked me out of school and home-schooled me. Now, let me tell you something. Being called names and being told I was fat and stupid (even though I wasn't) everyday for four years does not help your self-esteem. I was a wreck for several years to come. I still have self-esteem issues. Now imagine those poor kids who have been going through this kind of harassment longer than I did. It's no wonder so many of our young kids today are depressed and kill themselves. Persecuting still exists, even after thousands of years whether we want to acknowledge it or not. So, the question is, what are you going to do to help stop the persecution of innocent people?

~yaya