Collective narcissism

Today I learned a new concept that, on examination, I think I should have known long ago: collective narcissism. This captures the essence of a common contemporary phenomenon.


Sounds familiar?

Witch hunts as political tools

Between 1560 and 1630, the Great Witch Hunt raged in Europe, which resulted in 80,000 accusations and 40,000 deaths? Why did this phenomenon grip the continent? Two economists argue that the underlying reason was to gain more followers. This took place against the backdrop of the Protestant Reformation.

To bolster their point, the authors point out that from about 900 to 1400, the church didn’t want to acknowledge the existence of witches; and consequently, it didn’t try people for witchcraft. In 1258, Pope Alexander IV even prohibited the prosecution of witchcraft. Yet a few centuries later, the church reversed its decision. According to the economists, it was because of the Protestant Reformation.

Sounds suspiciously familiar to our own modern phenomenon of the “Drug War.”