Mc Martin Trials

The Mc Martin Trials Mass hysteria has been known to influence people’s behavior throughout history. There are many known cases in the world; for instance, there is the infamous Salem Witch trials, a mass delusion that killed over 40 people in 1692. It is believed to have such power that it can pilot entire nations. One of the best known cases in mass delusions in the past decades in the United States happened in the small town of Manhattan Beach in California in 1983. Virginia Mc Martin, founder of the Mc Martin preschool, jointly with her family and staff were accused of child molestation, sodomy and satanic ritual abuse toward their students. Victoria’s grandson, Raymond Buckey, was charged with 79 counts of child molestation.

The Los Angeles County police sent a letter to over two-hundred parents of current and former students. The letter suggested that there was a possibility that their kids might have been molested. In a matter of days, parents all over the county began accusing the Mc Martin staff of rape and other charges. The letter which included a filled-out form had words like “oral sex”, “fondling of genitals”, and “sodomy”. These terms soon turned parents into a troop of angry citizens that demanded justice and answers to their accusations. In accordance with David Scott, author of the article “Virginia Mc Martin Dies at 88; Figure in Case on Child Abuse”, it was suggested that this letters contaminated the case from the beginning. In the letter, they could find the name of Raymond Buckey causing hysteria among the children’s parents. Five employees of the daycare were taken into custody and charged with over 120 counts of child abuse that in the end turned to 321 charges involving 49 children. The news of the case soon spread throughout the country. Supposed allegations of child abuse began surfacing in dozens of pre-schools. According to an article by The National Review titled “The Salem Epidemic,” a New Jersey preschool teacher, Kelly Michaels, was charged with over one hundred counts of abuse and torture of children under her care. Even though testimonies were delusional, the mass hysteria created around the case, influenced the Jury to find her guilty. In a New York Times article “The Devil in the Nursery,” by author Margaret Talbot, points out the levels of hysteria reached by society; for instance, in one occasion a black robe thought to be used in the claimed satanic rituals, turned out to be Peggy Buckeys graduation gown. In addition, Talbot