False Information In The Crucible

People tend to believe what they want to believe. Whether the information is presented by celebrities or politicians or through paid advertisements on social media, it can be misinterpreted as true, even when it has been proven false. Misinformation causes people to make reckless decisions based on what they have heard or seen. False information has led to unfortunate events, such as the Salem Witch Trials and prejudice-based violence. False information connects events in both Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and current society, shaping the opinions of the public and allowing authorities to stay in power despite false evidence against them. People have a way of seeing what they want to see, which plays a key role in creating the hysteria that

In this sense, people are literally seeing what they want to see. Especially during times of high political tension, such as 2016’s election, chaos will ensue online. Scammers, hackers, and clickbait artists use this tactic as well. They use cookies to target users with ads or articles that will catch their attention and have the user download a virus or buy a product based on that ad. People see these articles or scams and believe what they are reading is true, similar to how Mary Warren reacted to the witchcraft scandal. Mary was told that there were witches and spirits, and she believed she was seeing spirits. Putting false information in front of a person is manipulative tactic used so people will react to it. Politicians do this with false statistics and events to provoke their voters as a distraction to pull their attention away from sticky situations. Abigail cries witchcraft on Tituba to keep herself out of trouble and this causes the girls and the whole town to believe that Satan is among them, even though the whole thing is just a ruse. False articles can shape the opinions of the public, creating racist and stereotypical views

The authority of Salem is held under a theocracy, where their religion dictates how the government works. Abigail gains power over the town and the other girls which she uses to take down her enemies. It is not infrequent for journalists and politicians to fabricate stories in order to cater to their readers or keep themselves out of trouble, like Abigail did for herself. Hale uses his occupation and reputation to take over how the hysteria spreads. Gaslighting is an example of using misinformation to gain/maintain power over a person in a form of emotional abuse. The Harvey Weinstein tape features an example of abuse where the abuser has the victim question their memory and sanity instead of blaming the abuser. The victim in these tapes ended up apologizing. This is not unlike the relationship between Abigail and John Proctor, where the two of them essentially gaslight each other, knowing they both have the power to do so. Abigail tells Proctor that there is no witchcraft, but Proctor is hesitant to do anything about it as he would have to admit to an affair with Abigail. Abigail feels victimized by Proctor as his wife fired her and she has not been able to find another job. Denial of facts is also another way people use misinformation to maintain their power. If there is some kind of evidence